Love At First Sight
Everybody sees Shilpa as a sex symbol, a glamorous queen. But I get to see the real person. She was sitting with her mother in a hotel when I first met her. I realised how homely she actually was. It was apparent that she was cultured and had good values. It was love at first sight. From the moment I saw her, I knew I’d love her to be my life partner. What makes her different from other actors is that she doesn’t come with the baggage of being a celebrity. That impresses me the most. There’s more to her than meets the eye. She’s got an angelic side to her. Her homely side grew on me as I got to know her. One would think she’d drink, smoke - things that one associates with actresses. But she doesn’t do any of that. I took her home to meet my parents and she was extremely warm. She touched their feet. I respect that. It was then that I thought this girl could be my wife. My friends were supportive of the idea. I knew my dad would be hesitant about me marrying a glamour girl, there’s always a pre-conceived notion about them. But she was so different.

Homemaker extraordinaire
My friends were shocked when Shilpa cooked chicken curry for me. They couldn’t believe someone so hot, happening and cool, could also cook. She’s a fantastic homemaker and very house proud. Our house looks so good because Shilpa’s worked on designing it the way it is. She’s been picking up things from all over the world. She’s a great housewife. No one expects her to do jhadu pochha nevertheless, she’s never had any issues with getting her hands dirty.

Mom’s the word
She’s a supermom! I’ve seen stars leaving everything to their staff. I feared my baby would have to go with that ordeal but Shilpa is so hands on. She’s up before me and she sleeps after me. She’s been getting her hands dirty, changing nappies. I guess motherhood does this to you. Not for one minute have I seen a lazy side to her. She’s never complained about not getting enough sleep. She’s a good mother.

An improved actress
She’s done a variety of movies. But I must say the actress in Shilpa Shetty came into her own only recently. Before that she was working only in commercial cinema. Women were not given the kind of roles that they are given today. Her last few roles are the ones I’ve enjoyed the most. The earlier ones terrorised me a bit. I’ve even told her, ‘Look, I don’t think I can bear to watch them.’ But Life... In A Metro, Phir Milenge, Rishtey and Dhadkan are some interesting films. If you ask me, I’d say she’s become a better actress now. Today if she jumps into a film, she’ll be like a fish in water.

Partners in rhyme
Most artistes are creative but they don’t have any business sense. This is true for Shilpa and even for Sanjay Dutt. The Shettys are known to be business-minded. I believed she had it in her. I was wrong. She wasn’t smart money wise but I’ve polished that side of hers. Today she’s street savvy, she can crack deals and understands the value of money. Her sixth sense is marvellous. She’s a good judge of people and in a meeting, she predicts whether a guy is going to rip me off or he’s going to make me a lot of money. And nine out of ten times she’s bang on. I pushed her to do the Yoga DVD, we got a perfume launched under her name and she has her own chain of spas. She’s involved with the cricket decisions and is doing a great job with the business.

Love’s like that
For any relationship to work you need to have balance. If one person is hot headed, the other person needs to be calm. Not that it always happens. Sometimes you might both get angry and have arguments but that’s part of life. If everything was coochie coo all the time, it would get boring. It’s normal to have healthy arguments. But we have a point, if we realise we’re wrong, we say sorry and move on. We’re particular about not going to bed angry. We always make sure that before the night is over; we sort out our differences and move on to the next day.

Temple run

Shilpa is spiritual. She likes going to temples and visiting deities and godmen. I do it because she likes it. You’ll always see me with her. But I’m there more to be her bodyguard than to pray at a temple. I believe in good karma. If I do good I’ll get good. I’d rather be a good person outside the temple and spend time, effort and money helping people. Shilpa too believes in this but she wants to do things that she has grown up doing.

Trust is must
We’re both equally possessive. Funny thing is I’ve had more female attention after marriage. We give each other a lot of freedom and space. She’s not the kind to call me ten times or enquire where I’ve been or why I am late. Neither am I. All we want to know is whether the other person is safe. We’re not nosing each other’s space. I know there could be ten men after her but we both trust each other a lot. Our relationship is based on that.

Why so hyper?
What irks me most about Shilpa is that she can get extremely hyper. I ask her to calm down. She’s become a lot more placid than before. Any major news and her whole world crumbles in front of her. I’m the calming factor in her life. Recently Rajasthan Royals got a penalty worth 100 crores. Puzzled she asked, ‘You’re smiling?’ I told her that nothing would change by being upset. Let’s go with the flow.

Self-made

I come from a humble background. My dad moved to London 45 years ago and worked as a bus conductor whereas my mother worked in a factory. We never had it easy. I’m a  self-made man since I left college at the age of 18. Whenever Shilpa checks me for spending carelessly, I tell her I have no qualms about enjoying the money I have made. My anger pushed me. I hated poverty so much that I wanted to become rich. And I did make a difference to my life. Shilpa respected me for that as she’s self-made  too. 

Wives don’t splurge
She’s in charge of the house while I’m the final authority on financial matters. But if it’s a splurge decision, like I wanted to buy a Lamborghini, I have to get her permission. She’s particular about spending money and often puts sense into me. She reasons why I would want to buy a car that I’m going to use two days in a year. I get upset for a day or two and then I get over it. She never splurges. There’s nothing she can’t afford but even if she has to buy a five thousand pound dress, she’ll think twice. She’s a bargain hunter and I love that about her. Why waste money?  She’s not a strict wife but she’s made me better. I’m quite vulnerable and trust people too easily. She’s taught me not to take people at face value.  But my nature is so friendly. Like Mr Shriram Nene, who is a good friend of mine, when we walk down the streets we end up talking to people, especially the kids who walk up to us. The wives are a bit wary of that.

Change is good
Shilpa’s altered my sense of dressing. She has a good sense of fashion and if I am going out somewhere important then she picks the clothes for me. I am a Punjabi and I love my food and drink. She’s always curbing my eating habits. She complains that I only work out so that I can eat. I don’t work out to get fit. But I’ve promised her I’m going to get a six-pack by Christmas. I’ve been telling her this for four years. We work out in the gym regularly and we finish our dinner by 8 pm. We’re a health-conscious family.

My wife, my strength
I’d say she’s past all my expectations by being a fantastic mother. Shilpa’s the best wife I could ever imagine. She was a great daughter but after Viaan’s birth her priorities have changed. She’s a lovely woman. She’s the wind beneath my wings and I try to be her support system. We are each other’s strengths.

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