"I've got a tattoo done on my spine": Mandira Bedi

The reactions you get when you do something for the first time are always more loud. This time, my clothes didn't throw up any surprises, says the lady in her first interview after returning from the UK The Champions trophy is over. The noodle straps are gone. Mandy is back to where she belonged. RaMa (Ra=Raj, Ma=Mandira) bungalow is a place of bustling activity as I am led in to her drawing room. While her housekeeper informs "memsaab thodi der me haazir hongi", I sip on a cold drink. It's a hot afternoon and he puts on the air-conditioner. Knowing that she is shooting for a telefilm for Star One at Madh Island till the wee hours of the morning since she landed, I presume the wait will be long. But hardly have I taken a few sips, Mandy walks in with a big smile on her face. No sign of fatigue or less hours of sleep. It is apparent that she had a ball in England. Dressed in a short -n- figure-hugging pink T-shirt and low waist blue jeans, she looks a million dollars. And once she begins chatting, like always, it's an absolute delight sitting across her. "What a tournament Maza aa gaya if I forget India's performance for some time," she begins, slapping her thigh. "I was particularly impressed with Andrew Flintoff's performance in the competition," she says, but hastily adds, "I couldn't get to meet any of the cricketers as I was put up in London and never went on and around the field. But it was fun to meet some other distinguished personalities concerned with the game. So far I had only exchanged a smile or two with Barry Richards, but this time I got to know him very well. He has an extremely beautiful and sweet wife who became a good friend. Importantly, I developed a very good rapport with Charu Sharma. Charu had been briefed by the channel to loosen up. And I think this time even I was more comfy with him. Above all, Ian Chappell and I raced each other for a swim." Who won, Mandy? "I gave him a run for his money but he won by a whisker," she winks. Masti apart Bedi appears to be in sync with the latest happenings in cricket. "Earlier I used to be clued in only to India's games. But now I started to see the game in real perspective." That happened because India got wiped out early? "Perhaps. Especially the cliff-hanger finale had everybody on his toes. I will never forget the English crew around me who were cocksure at the three-fourth mark that it was just a matter of time before the champagne flowed. How the No.9 and 10 from the Caribbean team turned the match on its head was unbelievable... even though it was happening in front of our eyes!" But Mandy is quite disappointed that our cricketers performed below par. "Some of our players should be made to sit out for a while. The team appears to have lost steam after Pakistan," she drives to the point. Cricket apart, did she get the same positive feedback from her fans? "Oh,I got as many messages as I did during the last World Cup." Then why didn't we get to hear the same amount of buzz about her clothes, etc? She knows what we mean. "The reactions you get when you do something for the first time are always more louder. This time, my clothes didn't throw up any surprises. So perhaps that's why the media didn't play it up. When I wore the stylish and daring outfits in the World Cup, I had sort of defied the convention, which a lady would normally do in such a situation. I believe that an executive coat and trousers would have been the obvious choice," she defends matter-of-factly, adding, "Anyway, this time I wore about sixteen attires in front of the camera, fourteen were designed by Satya Paul, while the remaining two were Sambo's creation. Like last time, the channel (Max) gave me a free hand." Point taken. Did she meet the other glam symbol of the channel- Rakshanda Khan? "Hardly. Except a little in the beginning and then on the last day when it was Rakshanda's birthday," she says. After the tele-film, what? "Well, next week, I am flying off to shoot for a commercial in Sri Lanka. Then I am doing a play with Sameer Soni; it will be staged in mid-November. And of course, I would love to be associated with cricket for a long time, though I don't know what destiny has for me. Frankly, I have never planned my life." You don't need to Mandy. You have been destiny's child, I feel. "Oh, come on. Don't pull my leg, at least this time. Agli baar ke liye rakho na," she pleads. Must know what husband Raj is doing. "We have hardly spent time together since I landed,. He is shooting for a commercial, plus he is busy with his film 'My Brother Nikhil'. He is also planning a bilingual in English and Bengali." Such demanding careers can be tough on relationships. Mandy nods her head. "He does get flustered at times. But we manage to compensate somehow. If there are disadvantages, there are advantages too. The fire keeps burning," she says with a naughty glint in her eye. She has blossomed over the years, but the essential Mandira hasn't changed. "Only my wardrobe has," she says, waving her hand. "My Punjabi dresses have all been tucked away. Now it's only tops, pants, jeans and sarees for me." Touche. P.S. Yes, there's one more change. As soon as Mandy landed, she headed for a tattoo artist at Bandra. Result? She has a tattoo 'Ek tu hi nirankar' on her spine. Soon, she is going to have that photographed. We can't wait. Can you?