Well, well! You learn something new every day. Didn’t think I’d learn so much Chinese in one day though! Met my hero Xia Yu, co-starring with me in my upcoming film “The DESIRE”, a superstar from China with no airs, was reserved at first but I actually discovered he had a great sense of humour as the shoot went on. Anyway coming back to how I learnt so much Chinese… I heard my hero correcting people pronouncing his name and every time someone called out his name, it invariably was wrong, the exact pronunciation being S(h)iya Yeoh!  which means “summer rain.” Sweet! The director addressed him as Sha Wu which meant “Afternoon”, Sha Yu, which meant “Oil” and many more interpretations with different christenings. Ha, ha! I dreaded calling out his name with the fear of getting it wrong. It was a funny sight till some people resigned to calling him “Sir!” (It was easier)

But he was too sweet, every time someone called out his name; he very patiently corrected it with a smile on his face. It was amazing to see his professionalism and dedication, despite not speaking the Hindi language he did try to make an effort to get comfortable with the surrounding with the help of Tracy (his English interpreter). For the first time I faced the camera with a foreign actor and that was a different experience. One thing that’s still constant is the fact that cinema understands the language of expression, so in the shot we understood each other perfectly well even if off camera we had to make an effort.

Shoot’s been hectic, a marathon schedule in Nasik after which we’ll move to Kuala Lumpur. Shaping up very well, very impressed with Sarath’s vision and his grasp of the medium is commendable. He’s slating to showcase it the Cannes Film festival so we working at break neck speed. For a change the international audiences will get to see more than just SLUMS, filth and an unhygienic environment and will see the deep rooted culture and beauty of India. It will be a film I’ll be proud of as an actor and as an Indian. Hopefully this will be received with as much gusto…

On that note will get back to practising Xia Yu’s name… have to get it right. Ha! Ha! Be good and a new announcement on the anvil, waiting to be broken. A couple of more days and the wait will be over.
Zai Jian – that’s goodbye, you know in which language!

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Packed up early today. Its been a hectic week in Kerala. Finished shooting some major scenes and a complicated song. This wasn’t any ordinary song, it was an Odisssi dance performance.  Why I say complicated is because among all the songs that I’ve ever shot for, this has been the most difficult. In the normal course, its easy to rehearse a step and add your own style to it, not necessarily perfecting it, making it fun. But here I had to not only do a different dance form, I had to do it perfectly, making it look authentic and emote at the same time. PHEW! This indeed was a learning curve (my body’s in a curve, every part of the body hurts ) and was worth all the practice, once I saw how it looked on the monitor. Thanks to my Guru, Ratikant Mohapatra (son of the iconic Odissi dancer Kelucharan Mohapatra) and his wife Rajshree, who were hard taskmasters, they made the impossible possible. What is really interesting is also that I got the chance to experiment with so many different looks, right from donning all the finery for the dance performances to going simple which is the actual character and to finally going bald. Well, well! Cant divulge too many details, but I’m sure it will be a film I’ll be proud of. Contrary to reports, I didn’t say no to going bald. I was never asked to go bald. It was just understood that I couldn’t cut my hair because of continuity I need to maintain for my other films. That’s all for now, but will keep you posted!
Lots happening, so excited to share it with you all. There is going to be a NEW ANNOUNCEMENT! You will hear all about it soon, but some things will have to wait! So until next week, hang in there!

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Last Night’s dinner was a surprise and how! Now you would imagine why I’d talk about dinner on my blog! This one was a special one. My very dear friends Pradeep and Rupali Shah along with Raj didn’t disclose the venue for dinner as it was meant to be a surprise. They had been planning it for a week, I was curious and tried everything to find out but was clueless. I was driven to the Gateway of India (discreetly) and I thought, they had booked a yacht and we were going cruising… But when my car took the right turn and stopped at the TAJ HOTEL’s Front entrance, I was confused, my friends in the car behind were beaming, and I was still bewildered.

Entering the hotel after the whole 26/11 episode brought back many feelings, some not so good. The hotel still looked a beauty, the only major change being the security that had been beefed up.

Nobody still told me where we were going despite me asking them, they said wait and see… we went up a lift to the top floor and soon we reached a door which had WASABI written outside it! It used to be my favourite restaurant and we used to frequent it quite often. We were supposed to be there on the 26th as well! Anyway I entered and screeched with happiness ’cause I had no idea they had reopened the restaurant (make shift) again only in a different section. I had tears of joy when I met Ronald, the Mangalorean waiter who’s always served me, spoke to me in Tulu (my mother tongue) and always made me feel at home. I had a sigh of relief when I sighted him, had some horrible thoughts when I heard that WASABI had been gutted out…..

If it didn’t come as a surprise visit, maybe it would’ve taken me longer to make my first visit. Entering the hotel lobby brought back a whole lot of mixed feelings - nostalgic, some happy, some not… But by the end of dinner, it was all worth it. Nothing’s changed, the menu, the quality, the service and above all the spirit and positivity. It was heart-warming to see the beaming faces of the hotel staff and the warmth they extended. This was my first step towards getting over the deep pain and fear that 26/11 left on me…

It will NEVER be the same again! I will always be haunted by a lot of memories… but the irony is that some things will always be the same - WASABI, my favourite restaurant and Mumbai, my favourite city!!

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After a much needed holiday I got back to Bombay and plunged into work. Lots to do… dress trials for ‘Desire’ for which I begin shooting on the 16th. Its a long shoot, then come back to shoot for an Ad, for which I’ve gotta prepare before I leave. Odyssey lessons, photoshoots and the production meetings, trying to zero in on the right script for my first production, script narrations, et all. Phew! Twenty four hours seem less.

Started working out today since my foot’s feeling better after a month and a half - a really long gap - considering I’m a fitness addict.

Leaving on the 16th for Kerala… love the place, had shot my Yoga dvd there, the locales are so picturesque and the ayurvedic massages therapeutic. Cant wait… will be away for two weeks but we will still be connected through this “Channel”. Thanks so much for all the concern shown and good wishes. Love always!

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This is the only week I switch off my phone and dedicate this time to be with family. New Year means ME time and that’s what I got!! I started my year in the beautiful city of Puerto Banus in Marbella, Spain. I can’t describe the beauty of the city and its culture. There were orange trees in our villa in full bloom which I happily plucked and gorged on. What fun!! They say you learn something every day and at 12 Midnight on New Year’s Eve, at a restaurant, I learnt how the Spanish bring in their new year. 12 seconds before the clock struck twelve they gave us 12 grapes called the 12 grapes of luck to eat one by one for every second before we screamed Happy New Year. It’s not easy to eat them all but the more you eat the luckier the year is, it was a new experience (Apparently there’s a history behind it, which I’ll share another time)

2008 has been a great year for me with many new avenues opening up, other than the Terrorist attacks which came as a Jolt to all of us, I want to think it’s brought us Indians closer and made us understand the value of our security and how unpredictable life can be. It’s made me learn to give priority to my loved ones over my ambitions. Not dampening my spirit, nevertheless looking forward to 2009 unfolding. Gods been very kind.

This New Year opens up another new business venture which I will announce SOON. Other than my production and some great opportunities I’m also looking forward to the release of two films after a year and a half. I like to start the New Year clean slate… like it’s a new beginning.

Forgiving but not Forgetting, Dreaming so it manifests and Aiming so I can Achieve. So hoping the same for all of us and wishing everyone a Happy successful PEACEFUL and FEAR FREE New year and lets resolve to stay United with the Spirit of ONENESS irrespective of cast or creed, no matter what!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

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