'All my close friends are men'

Chitra Sanam / TNN / Oct 5, 2006, 20:43 IST

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Mandira Bedi has put a different spin on cricket, and bowled the nation over with her presence in films and on television.

Mandira Bedi has put a different spin on cricket, and bowled the nation over with her presence in films and on television.
"It just happened by chance," says Mandira Bedi in a nonchalant tone about her career as a cricket commentator. "I never plan. Everything I'm proud of, everything that's been given me a lot, just came my way," she states matter-of-factly.
Avid passion for the game drove her to Sri Lanka on a personal trip for the 2003 World Cup, but little did she know that that trip would add a major milestone to her career in the entertainment industry. "I didn't even have tickets for the match. But I knew I had to make it somehow. So I made my plans and left alone, by myself, to watch the World Cup," she tells us. And that's when a reputed TV channel spotted her, and marvelled at the damsel's love for the game.
A few months later, she accepted the offer to be a live telecaster for the game, making her one of the few commentators of the fair sex, along the ranks of Ruby Bhatia.

And as her cricket saga rolled on, the lady continued to traipse along on way to success, and eventually made herself synonymous with the game. " For my first sting, I went for the World Cup. I thought I was going to be guided about what to do, but no! I was on my own. I did not flinch though. I thoroughly enjoy the game, so it came fairly easily. I represent the Indian fan glued to the TV when the match is on. I am biased, emotional and go with the flow. And that helps," she explains.

The gregarious, vivacious and high-spirited Mandira has not just carved a niche for herself in the industry but also won laurels from cricket champions such as Kapil Dev. She's written on cricket for newspapers, and even sat at the same hallowed table as Tony Greg and Ian Chappel, whom she grew up admiring. " I never thought I could be part of a scenario like this. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to know it's for real. I don't understand how things I never dreamed of came my way," she shares.
But wait a minute, where does acting fit into her time-crunched schedule? She ponders and then adds in her crisp tenor, "People have stopped offering me roles. They only perceive me as an anchor. And the film roles I'm offered are not what I want to do. So I indulge in theatre. I don't want to lose touch with the actor in me, and theatre fits in best. I ardently enjoy stage performances. In fact it's an extension of what cricket does for me.
Cricket is about live telecasts, no retakes. It's about living in the moment and being spontaneous. And theatre mirrors that. What I like about it is that it keeps me focused and sharp. There was a time when I was running a 101 temperature, but I forgot all about it on stage. That's the magic of live performances."
When it's time to pack up after long hours of work, she tells us, there's no place like home "I don't revel in nightclubs. I unwind and recharge at home." And with friends as her forte, her home is a welcome hangout for many close buddies from the film fraternity. "You know, interestingly, all of my close friends are men. Be it Maddy (Madhavan), Sanjay Suri and Rohan Roy – they are the buddies I spend time with," she laughs.
Very few people build homes in Mumbai, and Mandira is one of those who takes pride in having built a sprawling mansion in the country's commercial capital. And that's not where it ends. We found that she has more to her creative pursuits, which she lounges in, in her spare time. "When I am home, I spend time working on my interiors. I like a new look every now and then. So I chalk off an area and revamp it to a more appealing taste. And I go gaga over those projects."

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