Okay, let’s be honest here, you were waiting for this one, weren’t you? I know how it is. It’s just like any birthday party, dinner or even IT conference I go to. ‘Soooo, give me some gossip!’ Go read my blog, you freeloader, haha. I’m not standing here asking you for free software, am I? I’m kidding. I’ve never thought about it that way. Until NOW.
But the truth is the gossip I’ve received (the really juicy stuff) has always come to me in the most curious ways.
Years ago, when I had just started doing my blog full-time, I went to dinner with Nowshad and his college friend who was visiting from the US. Although he grew up in India, this friend doesn’t look very Indian because he has a foreign parent (this is integral to the story, and I’ll tell why you in a second). So, we’re sitting at a restaurant called Blue Frog in Bombay, and about 45 minutes in, this friend chimes in, ‘Oh by the way, I have some gossip for you. I saw Katrina on my flight and she was getting cozy with some guy.’ Now this was 2011. Way before the RanKat relationship was common knowledge, even though speculations were rife. I immediately dropped my fork and said, ‘Oh my God, who was it?’ And then I heard this story:
In-flight Access
Ranbir and Katrina were sitting in first class on a flight from Frankfurt to Mumbai. Ranbir had that ‘I’m a movie star’ vibe and was blocking the aisle, and my friend didn’t even put it all together until he caught a glimpse of Katrina sitting in her seat. He didn’t recognize Ranbir, so he Googled Katrina to figure out who she could possibly be dating. All the international business travellers were also wondering who they were until the two started reading scripts, making it obvious there was some movie star aboard their plane. Ranbir got them both blankets to get cozy and Katrina had no makeup on until they were about to land. Eight hours of coochie-cooing convinced my friend that they were really into each other and voila – rumour confirmed! But imagine the odds.
My friend happened to be on the same flight in the same row. He doesn’t look very desi, so they probably didn’t take him for a potential informant to a celebrity blogger. And had we not met for dinner, I would never have heard this story. This was the blog that cemented MissMalini as a place to confirm celebrity gossip. Bam! Thank you, Bollywood gossip Hunger Games, may the odds be ever in my favour.
An Apple A Day
One night I was on a flight back from Delhi and sitting uncomfortably in the middle seat with my headphones on, grouchy and tired when the lady at the window seat next to me tapped my arm. At this point I was not interested in making small talk, but took off my headphones and tried to be polite. She asked me what I did because she had noticed the cover of my laptop with my MissMalini anime and ‘Exclusive’ pasted across the front. I explained that I was a celebrity blogger and she proceeded to tell me this story.
She had been working at the Taj Lands End for many years and a yesteryear superstar would often come there to work out. (I had heard this before so nodded.) Then she said, ‘Nobody knows this but when actress-ji goes into the spa, no one else is allowed inside and she always leaves with a few hand-towels and free apples.’ What? First off, I didn’t know you had apples in your spa, but I guess that’s not the point. I found it oddly endearing that this Bollywood diva was a hand-towel klepto. Harmless and so humanizing at the same time. I lost that lady’s business card but I wish I could tell her that was one of my all-time favourite stories.
Village Privileges
Another time I was sitting at a salon and overheard a conversation about how a recently ‘it’ couple (who couldn’t be seen canoodling in public because one of them is spoken for) would often get the doors of a quaint little restaurant in Pali Village opened at 4 a.m. to meet for a romantic dinner now and again. I should spend more time in salons. People there know everything.
Tricks of The Trade
But here’s how you can get your gossip even if none of the above ever happen to you. When it comes to Bollywood, the people to grease are maids, drivers, watchman, bartenders even – who (within reason) are happy to keep you clued in to the goings and comings of the celebrities they service.
The other golden network that exists are the photographers who are forever on the prowl for celebrities from airport to residence, and somehow know before anyone else does who’s going to be where and exactly what time. For us, it’s the power of networking at a higher level with PR, publicists, movie promoters and the celebrities themselves. Plus, the fact that we keep it happy shiny makes it easier for the stars to trust us without worrying about guerrilla verbal attack just for a controversial headline
Social media has also become a very useful place to gather gossip. You can tell a lot by doing just a little detective work about who un-followed whom and the often-cryptic tweets and Instagram posts of the lovelorn. Celebrity fan clubs are so good at this in fact that they often beat us to the chase! Like the time Ranveer Singh liked Deepika Padukone’s Instagram picture, the #DeepVeer fanatics were all over that. Here are a few more times social media spelt out some celebrity love–hate stories for us…
The time Deepika Padukone commented with a heart on Ranveer Singh’s photo. Awww.
When after the great nepotism debate Karan Johar tweeted, ‘Dear talent...I wish you would stay away from overconfidence and delusion...they are constantly conspiring against you...don’t you see it?’
Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli un-followed each other on Twitter after they broke up.
Arbaaz Khan’s rumoured girlfriend (since his separation from Malaika Arora Khan) Alexandra Camelia shared a sketch of a couple, presumably of her and Arbaaz on her Instagram with the caption, ‘One year ago. Too beautiful not to post. Stars aligned and heavens opened...for one moment. #skybound #differenthug #youhadmeathello #lovemelikeyoudo.’
Hrithik Roshan’s tweet about dating the Pope was taken as a snarky retort to the Kangana–Hrithik drama that unfolded over their affair. Unfortunately, this tweet caused its own little religious furore on the internet and he then tweeted an apology.
KRK’s multiple Twitter wars trolling celebrities. Top of mind are the times Bollywood stars have slammed him for making lewd comments about fellow actresses. Sidharth Malhotra lashed out at Kamaal R. Khan when he made a nasty remark about Alia Bhatt’s bikini picture from her joint magazine photo shoot with him. Sonakshi Sinha’s KRK takedown when he started rating Bollywood actress by their bottoms, proving to the world yet again who the real ass is.
Rumours about Farhan Akhtar and Shraddha Kapoor’s romance when she shared a picture of clouds with the caption, ‘Up above the world so high! #AirplaneView #Magical #WhenItsJustYouAndTheClouds’ and Farhan commented with a smile and kiss emoji saying, ‘Oh give me a parachute and push me out...hehehe...’
Sonam Kapoor’s boyfriend (rumoured at the time) posted a Will Smith meme on Instagram that said ‘50 bucks I could take 25 women out to dinner!’ on which Sonam commented, ‘Which women?’ and some fun banter with some of their friends ensued.
Rangoli Ranaut supported her sister by calling out everyone who spoke against Kangana on Twitter, including Aditya Pancholi and Zarina Wahab. When Aditya said that he was the one who gave Kangana her first break, Rangoli tweeted that he should use his contacts to give work to his jobless children too. She also had a Twitter war with KRK (who hasn’t!) and he tweeted about her acid attack. She called him a crow in return.
Rishi Kapoor has been in the news because of his Twitter feed too. First, for a posting an inappropriate ‘meme’ which had a naked child in it (an FIR was filed). Next, when Rishi defended nepotism and dynasties in every industry in India. A woman made a meme ridiculing him about Ranbir getting multiple movies despite his flops to which Rishi direct messaged her saying, ‘f*ck you bitch.’ Yikes!
Lisa Haydon’s Instagram account is full of pictures that documented her whirlwind romance with Dino Lalvani. But she even went on to announce her engagement with a picture and the caption, ‘Gonna marry him.’
Excerpted with permission from To the Moon How I Blogged My Way to Bollywood, Malini Agarwal, HarperCollins India.