| Mandira Bedi brought a feminine touch to the masculine bastion of cricket commentary, she became the cynosure of male eyes.
Wearing a broad grin and a strappy dress, Ms Bedi got as much attention as Snow White did when she dwelt among seven male dwarfs. Though Mandira was in the company of tough-nosed cricketing giants, not amiable dwarfs, she confidently made her presence felt.
Mandira has been used to male attention. She modestly says she recoiled in horror when first saw herself on a monitor after recording a scene for the tele-serial Shanti ("I thought I looked like ET"), but the glamour world has brought Mandira loads of recognition, a cameo in Yash Chopra's Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge and TV assignments galore.
Ms Bedi talks about handling the male gaze as a glamour icon and a taboo breaker. What was the initial reaction to seeing you, a woman, in the cricket commentator's box for the first time?
People couldn't understand my presence. I was judged for my knowledge on cricket. But I was never expected to be an expert like Kapil Dev or Charu Sharma. I was there to ask the common man's question.
See, I host a musical show, Fame Gurukul, but nobody has once questioned me on my knowledge of music. Then, why question my being on a cricket show? I think it has something to do with the fact that cricket has always been perceived as a male domain.
I believe that I have contributed in changing that perception and I feel very good about it. Today, every cricket telecast has a woman. Currently, Doordarshan too has got Anjum Chopra, who plays for the Indian Women Cricket team. Incidentally, why isn't women's cricket as popular as men's cricket?
I think even metrosexual men don't like women playing cricket. The male ego comes into play. Men have always watched cricket. How did your presence help in increasing the male audience for the game?
Cricket has always been watched; but not necessarily cricket-related shows. I also meet women who claim that their husbands didn't watch cricket before I stepped into the scene. Did you feel as though you were just the glamour quotient and your IQ was always under a microscope?
For the first 10 days of my coming on air as a fellow-hostess of the World Cup show, the media called me an airhead. Fortunately, Sony kept the feedback away from me but when I got to know about it, I was very offended. Has this experience of being in the box changed your outlook towards men?
I have become acutely aware of the fact that Indian men are as possessive about cricket as American men are about baseball. Was it men who resented your presence in the box?
Surprisingly I got a lot of resentment from women, especially women journalists. Also, some men who were possessive about the game disliked me. But I managed to convert a lot of people. Navjot Sidhu supported me completely. Besides Navjot Siddhu, which other men expressed support for you?
I am very lucky. On one side I have my husband who supports me in life; and on the other side I have Charu who supports me during cricket shows. I will never forget the time Tiger Pataudi remarked to me, "You are doing a great job." Ian Chappell wrote words to the effect that she is a lady who knows the game and does a good job of being one of the boys. So how much does your self-esteem come from the way a man views you?
My self-confidence and my self-esteem have grown manifold post the World Cup experience in totality. Recently, I did an auction for charity where nobody contributed but I didn't give up. On the spur of the moment, I bid for a few items myself. I do a live show, Dial One, because of the confidence that I gained during the live telecast of the World Cup. Why do you wear strappy dresses — for yourself or to be the cynosure of the male gaze?
Well, we all dress to attract the attention of the opposite sex. But I do not dress to titillate. When I wear a sari and a strappy blouse, I like what it does for my own self-esteem. I wear only what I can carry confidently. If you have noticed, I don't wear short skirts. I have nice big shoulders so I look nice in a strappy blouse. But I must tell you that when I go to a gurudwara I wear a salwar kameez and cover my head with a dupatta too. Do you enjoy male adulation?
Yeah I like that. A lot of callers on Dial One claim that their 21-year-old son has a huge crush on me. When men call you on Dial One, do they treat you like a didi or do they flirt with you?
A mix of both. Are men partial to successful women?
Both men and women acknowledge and crave for success. Recently, while speaking about how DDLJ has been running for 10-years now, someone announced the cast as: 'Starring Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol and (believe it or not) Mandira Bedi'! What role has your husband played in your success?
My husband Raj is the wind beneath my wings. He is not my better half; he is the best part of us. He is very supportive and encouraging. He took up my cause against all those who criticised me. When people told him that your wife is a sex symbol, he said she is mine. I feel very proud of her. Men may desire her but she is mine. I have seen lots of extremely possessive husbands — Raj isn't. What, according to you, gives Raj the courage to be different from a majority of men?
It has a lot to do with his upbringing. He has grown up with a mother who has worked all her life. When one's mother and father are the joint breadwinners of a family, the family learns to respect both the sexes.
When Raj and I first spoke marriage, I put my cards on the table. I told him, "I will not change my name because I am very proud to be a Bedi. Bedis are the direct descendents of Guru Nanak Devji. Also, I won't give up working." He told me that he didn't want it to be any other way. And have you zeroed in on Raj's shortcomings too by now?
I will let you into a secret. Between Fame Gurukul and Dial One Aur Jeeto, I was swamped with work. Raj revolted and said. "Listen, where is my wife? I need her to be home some time. You are gone before I wake up and return home when I have eaten my dinner." I realised that I was misusing my freedom and decided to become more organised.
Raj is not God but he is very close to it. Between the two of us, he is far more giving. dinesh@mid-day.com | 
Hindi TV Shows
Veer Hanuman
