ON THE COUCH WITH KOEL
Commitments, Cyclones and Akshay
Couch, crew and the most impractical pair of high heels in hand I trudge through the slush of Phaltan. Ever heard of it? Well, neither had I. Thanks to an untimely cyclone, an unfortunate death and an unexpected commitment, I find myself voluntarily stranded there for three days. Akshay Kumar is my favourite and I would cross the seven seas, so to say, for him. What is a little time spent doing nothing but waiting in a tiny inaccessible village in the middle of Maharashtra?
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An hour away from Phaltan (and it takes at least 700 bumpy hours from anywhere to get there) I get an apologetic Akshay on the phone saying he has to leave for Bombay (of course he gets to use a chopper) because his mother-in-law's sister, Simple Kapadia, has passed away. So very sad. I offer my condolences and say don't worry about it, we'll do it another time. Before my mind can even contemplate the dreaded potholed journey back, Akshay pleads that I wait a night and he'll be back the next day to chat on the couch. I let my surprise be known only to get a rather filmy 'I've made a commitment to you and I will be there to fulfil it.'
Holding on to those words I check into the hotel in the middle of nowhere, where he and his Katha Meetha team are staying. Akshay has left instructions- my couch, my crew and I are treated like royalty. My room is next to a make shift studio where director Priyadarshan is working with composer Pritam on music for the film they are shooting. I fall asleep to a Marathi disco song only to be woken by the thundering sky.
There's a crazy cloudburst and a cyclone is headed our way. The wind is so strong that I could fly away on the couch like a magic carpet. Not a bad idea considering... then I have the action man on the phone again. This time he's not just apologetic, he's embarrassed and says so repeatedly. No chopper or chartered plane will take off in this weather, not even for the Khatron Ka Khiladi. I can't bear to hear my hero's imploring tone so I agree to stay another night.
His words of commitment reverberate to give us hope enough to last through the futility of nothingness. The downpour doesn't stop. We check out every nook and corner of the hotel as an alternative location to set up the couch to avoid the rain. Seems such a shame to come all the way and shoot indoors! I sleep fitfully. To be woken by an incessantly ringing phone. It's a chirpy Akshay saying, 'I'm downstairs ready to sit on your couch.' It's not even 6 am. How the hell did he get here? Choppers don't fly before 8 am.
He's drove, himself, the whole way from Bombay in a record time of three and a half hours (it takes normal people a minimum of 7). And he's brought the sun with him. I brush my teeth, put on my heels and rush down to hold up my end of the commitment. He's fresh, flirty and determined to make amends by giving me all the candid answers I want.
An hour on the couch with the man who always keeps his word (a day here and there) and I knew why he was my favourite. He's all man - not in a macho way or in gentlemanly way. Just all man. They don't make them like him anymore. He's only getting finer with age. Tune into this unique episode and meet the man at his most unguarded.Edited by divyalrl - 14 years ago
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