Rakshanda's diaries-article

reena's stars

Princess Diaries

I remember the first question I had asked Rakshanda Khan when I met her was: What does Rakshanda mean?

Reena Thapar Kapoor

1. Diya jale...
We met Rakshanda on the eve of Diwali, where we came upon her lighting diyas. Be it Diwali or Eid, Rakshanda celebrates every festival with equal gusto. "I believe in only one religion - humanity," says the sassy star.

2. Fasting, Feasting
Religious at heart, Rakshanda prays and fasts during the month of Ramzan. "Being part of the glamour industry doesn't change the traditional and religious side of me. I'm an orthodox Muslim," she says. Her father still gives her gifts and money on Eid. "It's something that both my brother and I look forward to, every year. It has been a family tradition for years and I value it a lot," she adds. On Eid, Rakshanda misses her brother and sister-in-law who live abroad.


3. Staying single
When does she plan to get married? Rakshanda says, "I believe in the institution of marriage. It's just that I haven't found a man who makes my heart go boom boom!" She adds, "My dream man should be God-fearing, religious and intelligent, with a good sense of humour." Rakshanda says she is fed up of spending her hard-earned money on herself. "Now I want to spend my husband's money. So he had better be rich too," she says.


4. Costume drama
If Rakshanda had her way she would wear denims all the time. "It's only thanks to my modelling profession that I developed a weakness for good clothes. Earlier, I'd wear just about anything I was comfortable in," she says. Rakshanda never wanted to be an actress and turned down many film offers for the last two years. "Acting was never on my agenda. After modelling, acting simply happened by default. But I am happy to be a part of this industry now." When not shooting, she is either watching films or chatting on the phone.


5. Friends forever
She has recently launched her entertainment company along with her friends Kedhar Gawde and Hemant Thacker. Despite hailing from a conservative Muslim family, Rakshanda went to a co-education school and dared to venture into modelling. "It was difficult to convince my family to let me model, but eventually they gave in," says Rakshanda. Few know that Rakshanda also wanted to be a journalist at one point in time. "I like being surrounded by people, and I thought the job of a journalist is really interactive and would have suited me just fine," she says.