I was in a relationship with a famous Hindi film actor for 2 years.

I was in a relationship with a famous Hindi film actor for 2 years.

He isn't a Shah Rukh Khan, but still one of the more popular faces. So here it goes.

[*For the sake of story I'll call him Gans. That's what I used to call him, a play on his nick name. Also, it's no where close to his real name, so hopefully no one will try to decipher his identity & focus on the story]

We met at a quite farmhouse party in my native city. It was my friend's friend's random party, so I was obviously reluctant to attend but still did. The host was Gans's cousin & he was in the city at the time. Honestly, I was awestruck when I walked in & saw Gans sitting there playing Xbox. I'm a regular girl with no Bollywood connection, so coming face to face with him was a really big deal! I still remember thinking "Yei! Selfie time! Everyone is going to be so jealous!". [I was really immature :P]. But my friend stopped me because it would be rude to disturb him. For the next hour, I avoided him. We just exchanged a few glances and polite smiles. I was standing in the balcony, & I still don't know why did he walk up to me & started talking. After 15 minutes, I stopped shivering like a loser & started talking to him like a normal person. And after an hour, he wasn't The Famous Actor' anymore. He was just a really sweet, regular guy who listened to music, loved fried food, & had a really funny Ronaldo V Messi debate with me. [CR7 forever!<3]. We exchanged numbers, & he surprisingly did message me. He Whatsapp-ed me the same night, & we chatted for hours! Things snowballed, & we started officially dating in a couple of weeks.

Eventually, his vacation' was over & he had to go overseas to shoot for a movie. I had thought it was the end of us, but he insisted that we continue. We had a long talk about ways of making it work. Ours was a new relationship, & he had recently broken up with a really intense girlfriend.

He flew off overseas, & I came back home. That's when I started learning what is it like be an actor's girlfriend.

• Being in public places in India

Hanging out in public places is not an option. Whenever he came to visit me to my city, we usually always met at his cousin's home, the hotels he stayed at, or drove around in cars. If we wanted to hang around in a public place, it was just a 1 hour window before word got around. The only public places he could stay somewhat undisturbed were restaurants in luxury hotels, but some fans still came up for pictures. If he ever craved for street food, we would go out together, I would do all the order placing, & we would eat in the car. If we wanted to watch a movie, we could only go to select theaters, & exclusively night shows. Also, you can never really leave home without a bodyguard. If fans spot you, there is a good chance they will crush you like Jon Snow at Battle of bas***ds.

• Being in public places abroad

His overseas shoots and vacations were the only times we could be a normal couple. We could eat at KFC, hold hands, go for a walk, soak sun on the beach. But on the back of his mind, I could still always see Gans never let his guard down. Indians are everywhere, & anyone who waches Hindi movies recognized him.

• Being on a film set

A film set is not a place to be. However pretty, tidy, & glamorous movies might look, film sets are the complete opposite of it, specially in India. A couple of times I got suspicious when Gans avoided me being on the set while he was shooting. But after I spent some days accompanying him on the set, I realized he was just being protective. Working hours at stretch in such a messy, filthy, hectic environment is extremely taxing & difficult. It made me respect him and his work a lot more.

• The Long Distance

This is one of the most difficult things about dating an actor. They are never home for more than a month. They are constantly travelling around the globe, & a lot of times to the smallest of towns in India. For shootings, promotions, campaigns.. And as being a partner the worst part is you cannot complain like a regular girlfriend if they aren't able to stay in contact. But he always tried his best to facetime/whatsapp/call me every morning & night. When you are in love & can't meet physically, that is what keeps you going. And since I could, I frequently accompanied him to his overseas shoots because the environment is a lot better, there wasn't any paparazzi around, & we got to spend a lot of time together. But the married couples I met during the course of our relationships, wives of actors are basically single mothers. You cannot follow your partner around if you have a child & a family to take care of. Only SRK & Akshay Kumar were the ones I saw/heard of taking out time for their children. And honestly, you cannot complain.

• The rumors

Everyday papers would be filled with the news of how he's dating a new costar, how his family had approved/disapproved of his new girlfriend, how he just got back together with his ex. They still are. It used to make me very insecure in the beginning, but he was very mature about it. He would assured me everyday, but that's not easy in long distance. It's very easy to believe there cannot be any smoke without fire. But being with him just made me a more trusting person. Assuming he's sleeping with someone if his phone is switched off is very easy, but you have to trust you man and your relationship enough not to do it. It only helped that when I met those rumored coactresses, they would apologize for all the rumors or joked about it.

• The fans

Oh the fans! I understand it can be overwhelming to see a star' IRL. Gans was always, ALWAYS, very compassionate & sweet towards his fans. But fans didn't stop at yelling in excitement, hugging him, talking a selfie. The nasty things some of his female/homosexual fans offered to spend some time' with him, I couldn't ever wrap my head around it. It is really difficult as a sane girl in a respectable relationship to keep up with the kind of offers' your man gets. Also, fans taking picture without permission is the most annoying thing. I never understood why don't they just ask for a picture, it's not like he would ever decline. That is not only illegal, but a blatant invasion of privacy. However protective I used to get over this, Gans literally never lost his cool over a fan. He understood his fans are his true earnings & he needs to cherish/respect them.

• The media

This was the one thing that Gans always protected me from. He knew how invasive media can get, & didn't want photographers to camp outside my home like they did outside his. If we had to go someplace, he would first go there alone & then his driver would escort me there. There were times when Gans had to literally body block shield me from aggressive photographers. That was when I was clicked with him as an unidentified female companion', but that only made him ever more fiercely protective. To give you an example, once Gans drove us to a movie date, & a photog tried to click as upskirt picture of me & yelled "Are you sucking his cock yet, or are you just friends?". That was the only time in 2 years I had seen Gans so angry. He was so enraged, he was this close to beating the photog.

• The pressures

Sometime some roles they take up are so intense, the tension leaks into the relationship. There where times when he felt my work stories were too menial & just wanted to be left alone. Those are the times I had to be the understanding one & respect his space. But he always apologized & made up acting rude, even though I mostly didn't hold it against him.

• The money

The money is crazy. Eg. His dog only eats gourmet pet food from London. Even though I wasn't in it for the money, it was an added bonus. Every month he would transfer buttloads of money into my personal account. He pampered me with the best luxuries the world has to offer. But at the end of the day, you realize it is the only way he could make up for not being around as much. Here is a picture of the time.

A picture of when we went to Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean

The Hamptons, while he was shooting in USA

((Sorry, this is the most I can share while maintaning anonyminity))

• The Industry

The film industry is a small world where everyone knows everyone. It has its downsides, but his industry friends where overall very nice towards me. You know those parties you see in the news? They aren't parties as much business opportunities. No one is actually getting drunk & dancing hard there, but discussing new ventures. So, even if you aren't in the mood for loud music & socializing, you have to fake a smile & be present. Something I still can't believe? I once partied [actually partied] at SRK's Mannat with him & Gauri! [Yei!]

• The costars

Even though most actresses are very professional, there still are some who would again make offers' to climb the ladder or land a project. The lowest point of our relationship was when he actually gave in one of those drunk nights. But he was honest enough to come clean. There was no way I could have know if he didn't confess, & even though that's when our relationship started cracking slowly, I'm glad he was honest with me.

So, that's what it is like to date a star' in India. We eventually broke up due to multiple reasons & moved on in our respective lives. Till now, only my parents, brother, & 2 best friends know about him.