- Rendezvous with Rajiv -

Vancouver, BC on Friday, October 3, 2008
By Senior Editor: Kanti R. Shah / T-Fare Online
gayfareonline@gmail.com Subject: KANTI

Rajiv Malhotra has seen some pretty tough times. Whether its scams, spells or scums – he has battled them all. From a troubled teenager under his big brother’s shadows to holding his own in a high profile marriage to Trollywood’s queen bee Malini Malhotra. He has lived it all. I have to admit that there was a time when I was deeply concerned about his well being. But a very personal interview with Malhotra Jr. convinced me that he could not be doing better!

Kanti: Good evening and thank you Rajiv for agreeing to this unique one on one with us today. Your fans in Trollywood are anxiously awaiting this interview. I hope it is a fun experience for you as well, since I know you dislike interviews.

Rajiv: Thank you so much and I hope the interview will not disappoint. I definitely appreciate your time and efforts in making this possible. Considering I really don’t know most of your readers in person, I consider this a rare opportunity to present myself. Hopefully this gives the Trollywood community some perspective on who I am as a person – beyond the gossips and the drama. I hope they are able to see me for who I really am. I don't dislike interviews but it is my firm belief that one must have some boundaries and personal space. While I whole heartedly support Trollywood, it can sometimes come in the way of our right to privacy, as our recently stolen wedding pictures illustrate.

Kanti: I am glad you led me to my next question! Are you upset about this incident where one of your guests took unauthorized pictures at your family function?

Rajiv: I wouldn't say upset but definitely disappointed. That person is a friend of my bhabi or actually WAS a friend of my bhabi and I am pretty sure about that. It’s a sad day when a close friend betrays your trust and flaunts pictures of your private family moments, all for the sake of some cheap publicity. This speaks to her true character and lack of values.

Kanti: Your marriage with the very beautiful and in-demand Malini Nanku Malhotra has been the subject of tremendous curiosity in the industry. I know you don't like discussing your personal life but could you please set the record straight? We are a bit confused about how someone could rush into a marriage, then divorce and marry gain - all within a 2 year timeframe.

Rajiv: It’s really not as dramatic as you're making it sound. I know Trollywood has a tendency to dramatize everything but ours is a very real life love story. It is not filmy. Have we had our share of problems and misunderstandings? Of course we have – on many many occasions! But this is what makes any relationship real. I would strongly argue that any relationship that does NOT involve conflict and problems is not real at all. After all, if we have had problems and worked hard to resolve them, it demonstrates how deeply we care about one another. It shows you how committed we are to staying together and forsaking all others to be together. That was my marriage vow to Malini and I meant every word of it. To answer the specifics of your question, let me just say that we've been married just once. Did we come close to a divorce? Absolutely! I would be lying if I said we didn't. We came dangerously close to it. But what ultimately saved our marriage was Malini's unconditional love for our entire family. She has such a big heart and this has not just won me over but our entire Malhotra family. My brother is absolutely right when he said that while we were born with the Malhotra name, she has earned it!

Kanti: You undoubtedly dated the most number of actresses in Trollywood. That is probably one reason your strong marriage is a bit hard to digest for some people. Please comment?

Rajiv: When I first came to the States, I was young and gullible. I used to think with my heart and not my head. Believe me when I say that I did not play with anyone's emotions. On the contrary, people played with my emotions all the time. I was lied to, manipulated, misled, scammed and believe it or not even spelled! I am 100% serious and the reason I know this is because these women have confessed this themselves. That they went to foreign lands to acquire spells to cast on me like I was some sort of toy to play with. People have really treated me like dirt – some even played with my emotions by committing to me and then dumping me only to date someone in my own family! Can you imagine what kind of mental torture I must have gone through? I used to cry and almost lost my mind when this happened. What kind of people can do this to another human being? No wonder I was so mentally disturbed for the longest time. Malini met me at that phase of my life when I was an emotional mess. If I am strong, capable and just normal today the full credit goes to my wife’s commitment to me. She stood by me when everyone else turned their backs. I will never forget this and I will spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to her.

Kanti: I had never seen this emotional side of your personality. I am really touched Rajiv. But I know for a fact that many people genuinely cared and were concerned about your choices and worried for your safety at one time. Tell us a bit about where your life is right now.

Rajiv: My life is finally back on track. As you know, I am now a permanent resident of Canada so no more immigration issues. But more importantly, I was able to transfer a lot of the credit hours I received in California to my university here in BC. In fact I will be graduating with a Masters degree shortly. I might decide to go for a PhD later in life but for now my focus is to complete my Masters. I have an internship at HSBC Bank that might work out to a full-time position once I get my MBA. As for Trollywood, I am looking forward to playing Abhishek’s character in Dostana – provided you guys don’t cast my bhabi opposite me. That would just be too odd!

Kanti: Can you please explain your wife’s frequent trips to India?

Rajiv: As I said, Malini is very family oriented. All her trips back home were to spend time with in-laws. Sine my folks have moved here, she stopped going completely.

Kanti: Do you ever get jealous of your wife’s popularity and fan following? Do you realize that hundreds of people consider her to be an icon and the ideal woman?

Rajiv: They are only reaffirming what I have always believed – that she is the ideal woman. So why would I be jealous? If anything, I certainly hope that they are not jealous of me because while they are only able to fantasize about her, I am lucky enough to have her with me in real life! (laughs) But jokes aside, I know that there are so many people who really admire and respect her. It’s baffling and to be quite honest it defies logic considering most of these people don’t know her in person. Yet, they take the time to write to her and anxiously await all her movies. I know that she’s humbled by their love and support. But believe me she works very very hard to make sure that she always meets their expectations – whether it’s by playing a variety of roles or trying out a different look. But I think the bottom-line is that they like her because she keeps it real and makes it very easy for them to relate to her. She is gentle, humble, down to earth and yet very easy on the eyes. She is a true-life Chandramukhi. What else could anyone ask for?

Kanti: I wasn’t going to ask this question but I’d like to give you the opportunity to make a statement to all those girls that broke your heart.

Rajiv: What can I say? It’s ironic that some played with me by showing their bad character while others stayed away from me because they didn’t believe in my good character. Either ways, time has proved them wrong. Success is the sweetest revenge and my successful marriage with Malini speaks loud and clear about my good intentions and good character. But are any of them capable of a relationship in real life? (laughs) As much as they would like to believe that they are relationship material, they should ask themselves questions like why are they all single? The answer is not that they are unattractive women on the outside but they have a lot of work to do on the inside. Unfortunately, that is something even plastic surgery cannot fix! It cannot make someone a better person, a better human being. In any event, the good news is that I have truly moved on. Believe it or not, I have actually prayed for their happiness and well being. I am not the kind of person to hold grudges.

Kanti: That is very big of you Rajiv. So why not forgive, forget and give them a second chance?

Rajiv: (laughs) You know there’s an old saying in Hindi. I think it’s in English too – “Fool me once shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.”

If this interview does not dispell all doubts for you regarding Rajiv's tremendous strength of character, nothing else will. Today I found the friend I had lost somewhere during the last couple of years and this calls for a real celebration! On that note I decided to end the interview.