IS THE ACTRESS SECRETLY DATING SHABIR AHLUWALIA?
WHAT EVERYONE WANTS TO KNOW IS HOW SHABIR MANAGED TO DRIVE A WEDGE BETWEEN AAMNA AND RAJEEV. TO BEGIN WITH, THE THREE WERE ALWAYS GOOD FRIENDS. IN FACT, RAJEEV WHO PLAYED SHABIR'S OLDER BROTHER IN THE SHOW, ACTUALLY TREATED SHABIR LIKE HIS YOUNGER BROTHER IN REAL TIME TOO.
THE RELATIONSHIP (IF WE CAN CALL IT THAT!) IS SAID TO BE IN ITS TEETHING STAGES AND IT REMAINS TO BE SEEN IF SOMETHING CONCRETE COMES OUT OF IT. WITH MADAME KAPOOR'S BLESSINGS, SHABIR AND AAMNA SHOULDN'T HAVE A PROBLEM REVEALING THEIR FEELINGS FOR EACH OTHER TO THE WORLD
Aamna Shariff and Rajeev Khandelwal. A couple just as famous for taking the 'We are only good friends' line to another dimension altogether, as they are for their palpable chemistry. Aamna and Rajeev may have cried themselves hoarse denying the romance rumours between them, but we at Showtime, doubt there's anyone out there who believed the same. The vibes between these two were just a little too hard to ignore now, weren't they?
So while link-ups came and went and walkouts (Rajeev quitting Kahiin To Hoga) hogged tabloid headlines, Rajeev and Aamna stayed together through it all. Until now, of course! Because if rumours are to be believed, there's major trouble brewing in paradise. And the onus of this trouble is being laid on none other than the Balaji favourite, and Rajeev's one-time close pal, Shabir Ahluwalia.
Let's trace this love story to its beginning. As we all know, Rajeev and Aamna met on the sets of their once hit show, Kahiin To Hoga, which incidentally, never garnered the TRPs that it had before Rajeev's walkout. Their love track in the show was much appreciated, and they took away a lot of 'Best Couple' trophies at numerous award functions. When this on-screen romance turned to reality cannot be exactly ascertained, but sources state it was pretty much an instant attraction. "Rajeev and Aamna were practically inseparable on the sets. And when he left to be replaced by Gurpreet Singh, Aamna was obviously very upset. In fact, that's the reason why her behaviour towards Gurpreet has always been quite hostile," says a source from the Kahiin…unit. That there's no love lost between Gurpreet and Aamna is a well-known fact in the industry. Even Ekta Kapoor is aware of the tension between the two, and is known to favour Aamna on the matter.
Coming back to the story, although everyone's always known Rajeev and Aamna as a couple, they've never said anything to confirm the same. They've been spotted together at many an occasion, be it a film premiere, TV party or for that matter, Aamna was a regular visitor on the sets of Rajeev's flop game show, Deal Ya No Deal. But mum was the word when it came to making a formal announcement.
Besides Rajeev, Aamna has also been linked with co-stars Vikas Sethi and Iqbal Khan, who made a cameo appearance in Kahiin…. Not much was read into the link-up with Vikas, but sources from Balaji had revealed that something was definitely cooking between Aamna and Iqbal. Iqbal, on the other hand, had dismissed the rumours categorically. "Everyone knows how much I love my fiance, Sneha," he had said. Today, Sneha is Iqbal's newly-wedded wife and the Aamna story has already been relegated to the backburner.
As for Rajeev, there wasn't anyone to link the actor with, because frankly the man wasn't doing anything on the acting scene. Time Bomb hardly mattered, and now Left Right Left is keeping him occupied. There has been some talk of an alleged involvement with Left…co-star Priyanka Bassi, but an interview with Priyanka (elsewhere in this issue) clears that completely. "I have great respect for Rajeev as a co-actor, but there could be nothing of that sort between us," says the young actress.
So then what could be the chink in the armour? What brought about the supposed break-up of one of television's most adored couples? Our sources point their fingers at Shabir Ahluwalia. Now Shabir's pretty much a low profile guy whose name is rarely dragged into controversies. Except for being linked with Nausheen Ali Sardar, during their stint in Fear Factor, it's rare to hear a woman's name being pushed alongside his. The only fact well-known about him is that he is an Ekta Kapoor loyalist, who will do anything for Balaji Telefilms. In fact, it was said that Ekta disapproved of Shabir's growing friendship with Nausheen, and asked him to bury the relationship, which Shabir immediately did. Such is the bond between Shabir and his mentor. But that's another story altogether. And this is not Shabir and Ekta's story.
What everyone wants to know is how Shabir managed to drive a wedge between Aamna and Rajeev. To begin with, the three were always good friends. In fact, Rajeev who played Shabir's older brother in the show, actually treated Shabir like his younger brother in real time too. They were squash buddies, and Shabir has often mentioned how he misses Rajeev on the sets. Aamna is known to be friendly with most on the show, including Shabir, except of course, Surveen Chawla, whose character was bumped off accordingly. Over a period of time, Shabir and Aamna's friendship grew closer and she is now said to be dating him very seriously.
The Kahiin…team had also made a quick trip to Goa around two months ago, where both Aamna and Shabir got an opportunity to get to know each other better. A reliable source tells us how last Christmas Eve, Shabir along with Rakesh Bapat of Saat Phere fame and Vikas Sethi had accompanied Aamna to Mount Mary Church in Mumbai. Aamna had probably had a drink too many and was in 'high spirits', as she clung to Shabir for support. And Shabir being the true friend in need, was more than ready to hold her up as they all sought divine intervention.
The relationship (if we can call it that!) is said to be in its teething stages and it remains to be seen if something concrete comes out of it. With Madame Kapoor's blessings, Shabir and Aamna shouldn't have a problem revealing their feelings for each other to the world. As for Rajeev, he's definitely going to look left, right and then left again, before taking the plunge another time!
