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Shakti calls Sai 'Chhotu'!
And that's just one of the pet names our TV stars have for each other. BT gets into the name game
GITA HARI
Mera naam hai Shabnam, log mujhe pyaar se Shabbo kehte hain crooned Asha Bhonsle to the sensuous gyrations of Bindu in Katti Patang. Tumhara naam kya hai? We asked some of our TV stars about their nick names. 'Baby' and 'Jaan' were the most common, followed by sweetheart or darling!
Some pet names though sound good only when you are a kid. For instance, Rakeshh Paaul's pet name used to be 'Shunty'. "When I was a kid, our house was near a railway station where trains get shunted and I used to enjoy watching them and my name became 'Shunty'," chuckles Rakeshh. At home it was 'Sweetu' for the dimpled Rajev Paul, Delnaazz called him 'Baby' during courtship, which he was uncomfortable with and it finally got shortened to 'Bebu'. And Rajev's calls his dear wifey as 'Delu'. But pretty actress Prachi Shah's husband does not mind responding to her loving 'Baby' that he replies with 'Sweetheart'.
Coming from a royal family in Orissa has its own rewards as Maaninee Misshra was addressed as 'Chotto Jema', meaning the youngest Princess. Her husband Mihir calls her Mana or 'Jaan', she returns with a 'Jaan' or Mihir.
Names are more often than not supposed to reflect the appearance of the person and so Sai Deodhar's nick name is Noki, which means 'beautiful girl' in Bengali (her mother is a Bong). But husband Shakti Anand delights in calling her 'Chottu' because of her petite stature. She fondly calls him 'Cheeku' or 'Dingo'.
Hiten Tejwani's mom calls him 'Hiru', but Gauri and Hiten are each other's 'Jaanu'. Whereas another Hiten, that is, Paintal is teasingly called 'Chuchi' by his love Kishwer Merchantt who in turn is 'Baby' or 'Jaanu' for the comedian. '
'Mishti' sounds feminine but that's the endearment for Arjun Punjj by his parents as they were in Kolkata when he was born. Though it may seem unromantic, Gurdeep Kohli and Arjun call each other by their original names, "but in a very special manner, the way we say it makes the difference," says Arjun.
Rajesh Kumar aka Rosesh Sarabhai's nick name is the most unusual — he is called by someone else's surname — Khanna, referring to the erstwhile superstar Rajesh Khanna but after he got married it's 'Shona' by his wife Madhvi whom he addresses as 'Mad'. And just when you assume it must be the short form of Madhvi, he grins wickedly, "not as in Madhvi but as in paagal!"
Itti Si Khushi Sab TV
