Spouse special: Goldie Behl on Sonali Bendre

Their love story gives Mills & Boon a run for its money. He was a Punjabi brat and she, a simple, educated Maharashtrian girl. They met, sparks flew and hearts locked. Friendship turned into courtship and courtship into marriage. Not without the essential filmi drama. The girl’s parents objected. She was educated, he was not. But as they say in B-town, hogi pyaar ki jeet.

Theirs was a happy ending after all. Ten years after their wedding, Goldie Behl and Sonali Bendre are still going strong. The secret to their marital bliss is not giving up.She gets him through troubled times and he pushes her out of the home to go have fun. Today they’re living the same life they’ve grown up seeing in the movies. They manage the home and their film production business together because the two complement each other well. Goldie gives us a peak into their yin and yang relationship. No holds barred...

Jab they met

I bumped into Sonali on the sets of the film Naaraaz. My sister Shrishti Arya knew her well but I didn’t know her at all. I just found her attractive. (Winks) I still do. Believe it or not, what appealed to me the most was how slowly she ate her food. We were having lunch together and I commented on her eating pace. She got a liitle upset with my comment. At least, it broke the ice and we started talking. So our first conversation was about food and to date most of the times, we simply talk about food. (Laughs) Now most of it is about how little I should eat. After some time, she signed Angaaray, a film I was producing. I was also assisting Mahesh Bhatt who was directing the film. I had to relay messages from the director to the actor. Thanks to that job, Sonali and I started talking more and became good friends. At the same time, she was working on Major Saab which was produced by Amitabh Bachchan. I used to frequent the set quite often to meet my close friend Abhishek. The three of us (Abhishek, Goldie and Sonali) used to hang out together and my friendship with Sonali grew deeper. It’s remained intact to date. The movie took too long to get made and didn’t do well but what the heck, we found each other. So it will always remain a special film for me.

Love’s labour
Eventually, our friendship turned into romance. But initially, the affections were one sided. She was in denial. I didn’t give up on her though. Even my mom asked me not to let go of her. She thought Sonali was an amazing girl. For the first time in my life I heeded my mom’s advice and thank God for that. Long drives and heated political discussions were instrumental in strengthening our bond. And in no time we were seeing each other. I see no particular reason why she agreed to be with me but I’m glad she did. I believe the understanding and the compatibility I share with Sonali, I wouldn’t have had with anyone else in the world. We are so similar yet so different. We always have a lot to talk and share.

Power of two
She’s my pillar of strength. She’s stood by me every time I’ve been down. She’s so positive about me and our relationship. For any relationship to work, having belief and faith in the other person is important. She’s always believed in me. I have immense faith and belief in her too. I guess that’s the crux of our relationship. Even though our marriage has completed a decade, we’re still discovering each other. There’s so much more to find out about each other and enjoy a long and happy life together. It’s great and I hope it remains this way.

Mother’s touch
Our son Ranveer is the most special gift Sonali has ever given me. She’s a hands-on mother. Even though she has all the help in the world, she makes it a point to help Ranveer get ready for school. She keeps a tab on what he’s taking in, mentally and physically. She keeps a check on what he’s exposed to. She doesn’t restrict his friends circle. She tries to give him the best of everything. She’s extremely close to him and she’s serious about her responsibilities as a mother.

Peak performance

I believe Sonali is a better actress now. Earlier, what she wanted to do and what she was actually doing were not the same. Underplaying wasn’t considered good acting then. And she was someone who had a methodical approach towards acting. That’s mainly because she comes from a strong educational household. In fact, one of the problems her parents had with me was that I wasn’t a graduate. Today, things are different at the movies. There’s vision behind the leading ladies’ character. She will have more fun working in films. I’m excited about her second innings. Most actors peak during their late 30s. Unfortunately, for our actresses, by the time they reach that age, their career is over. With no disrespect to Sridevi’s earlier performances, her performance in English Vinglish was way beyond my imagination. It was a nuanced performance. Likewise for Sonali, she has a much better understanding of life now. She’s gone through many experiences… being a wife, mother, etc. Now she knows her craft and I’m sure she’ll do a fabulous job.

Sonali’s dark side
Not many people know but Sonali is a big sci-fi fan. She digs movies like Star Wars and Star Trek. And what do I say about her humour. She has a dark and a dry sense of humour. Sometimes even I don’t get it.