Elesh shouldn’t be known as my husband: Rakhi Sawant

Mumbai, They got engaged amid much fanfare on national television but item girl Rakhi Sawant is worried about her Toronto-based fiance Elesh Parujanwala.

She is worried about him accepting her sexy image, his financial independence and, above all, she doesn’t want him to be just known as “Rakhi Sawant’s husband”.

“Will Elesh be able to support me financially? I don’t want
him to be known as Rakhi Sawant’s husband. I need time.

“I agree Elesh is educated and he comes from a wealthy family. But all of it belongs to his father. He has nothing of his own in Mumbai, not even a home. He needs time to settle down,” Rakhi, who selected Elesh through NDTV Imagine’s reality show “Rakhi Ka Swayamvar”, told IANS in an exclusive interview.

She is also concerned about Elesh being comfortable with her sexy image.

“People are spreading dirty rumours about me. On the Internet they’ve morphed my face on naked bodies. Would Elesh be able to tolerate it?” asked Rakhi.

She is also disgusted by singer Mika’s attempts to gain mileage out of her name.

“I’m really tired of people using my name. I don’t want to give such people importance. I’ve learnt the hard way how to be dignified. Jesus has taught me to be calm. My good days are just beginning.”

Rakhi says she’ll marry Elesh only when he becomes economically self-sufficient.

“I don’t want him to be another Abhishek Awasthi (her ex-boyfriend) in my life. Yes, we’re engaged. I like him a lot. But how can I hand over my life to someone who isn’t earning a proper living?

“That’s why we’re going on another reality show to see whether we’re really as compatible as we seemed on ‘Rakhi Ka Swayamvar’. I didn’t get enough time with him on that show. You and I saw his best face. Now I want to see the real Elesh.”

Her new show “Pati Patni Aur Woh”, which is likely to be aired next month on NDTV Imagine, is about parenting.

“I want to marry a man who can support me. In India, wives are supposed to be looked after by husbands, not vice versa. I don’t want him to come and stay in my house. I want to live in his house. I will wait for him to afford a house.

“I know Elesh is a decent guy. But is that enough? He has to be financially independent. He needed a place and a face to latch on to; that’s why he came on the show. Abhishek was so decent. But he was known as Rakhi’s boyfriend.”

Rakhi’s new show is about parenting, but kids give her a headache.

“I’ve a migraine problem. When a child cries, I get a severe headache. I don’t know how I’ll manage for a month with a stranger’s child.

“On top of that I’ve to cook on the show. I can’t cook to save my life. I don’t know how I’ll manage. I can’t even use make-up. Can you imagine Rakhi Sawant without makeup?” she said.

Asked how she’ll cope when she has her own kids, Rakhi replied: “Apna bachcha to har koi paal leta hai…jaanwar bhi. I don’t know how I’ll cope. I think I’m going to lose my cool completely. So far people have only seen the good Rakhi Sawant. Now they’ll see the real me.”

Speaking about ex-boyfriend Abhishek, she said: “I still consider him my good friend. I hope and pray he finds a good girl. If ever in life he needs me, I’ll always be there.

“If he needs me to be a dance partner in a reality show I’ll gladly do the needful. He has supported me a lot. I’ll always be thankful to him for getting my mother out of my life. That’s one good deed he did. If Abhishek hadn’t been there, I’d have not had the courage to break away from my family. I’d have been wallowing in mud.”

Rakhi Sawant to continue working post marriage

Finally, Miss Rakhi Sawant is going to turn into Mrs. Rakhi Parujanwala on August 2 on the smaller screen. However, Rakhi has refused to quit work and join her Toronto based husband. Moreover, she would also not want her husband to quit work and become as ‘Gharjamai’. So, Toronto-based entrepreneur Elesh Parujanwala has decided to shift base to Mumbai from Toronto.

Speaking about his future plans, Elesh said, “There won’t be any need for a long-distance marriage, or for Rakhi to join me in Toronto. I’ve already shifted a part of my business from Toronto to Mumbai and I intend to stay put in Mumbai for a very long time.”

On his taking part in this reality show, Elesh explains, “At first I was skeptical. In fact I initially expressed my misgivings to the program’s creators. I didn’t want my children to one day ask me why I married their mom on a game show. But I’m glad I came on ‘Rakhi Ka Swayamvar’. It isn’t a game, though it may be a show being watched by millions. For Rakhi and for me it’s a matter of life and death.”

”I used to watch Rakhi Sawant in her films and her music videos. At that time I never thought I’d one day be asking her hand for marriage. Life is funny,” he laughs.

Apparently, Rakhi’s brother Ravi Kishan helped and guided her in choosing Elesh over and above other contestants. Says Ravi Kishan, “Elesh always stood out. And I told Rakhi this. The less said about some of the other contestants the better. One of them Manmohan Tiwari had so much attitude, it was almost like he was trying to be the small screen’s Ravi Kishan. Sadly the channel encouraged him to behave the way he did, arguing that it enhanced the TRPs. He behaved very badly with Rakhi. He had a girlfriend tucked away all the time. Why was he wooing Rakhi then? I told her Elesh was the best guy for her.”

Rakhi Sawant Biography

Known as the "Item Girl" of Bollywood, Rakhi Sawant always aspired to become an actress. She admits that she was fatty and chubby but never nervous. It took her immense courage and determination to convince her father about her professional inclination, while her mother was always by her side.
Her actual name being Neeru, Rakhi was born in Mumbai in 1978. Her father was a Mumbai policeman and her mother was a nurse. She has a brother Rakesh, who is venturing into film direction. At the tender age of 14, Rakhi studied at the Goklibai School where she was offered an item number in “Joru Ka Gulam” in 2000.
For a while, Rakhi studied arts at Mithibai college. She was doing theatre simultaneously. It was here that she was offered her big breakthrough in the film “Chura Liya Hai Tumne” in 2003 with an item song. Rakhi admits that since she did not have any godfather in the industry, she could not refuse the offer.
A number of films then fell in Rakhi’s kitty which went on to make her extremely popular. these include “Kurukshetra”, “Om”, “Main Hoon Na”, “Mumbai Express”, “Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena” and “Malamal Weekly”. Though none of the films have seen Rakhi in a leading role, her appearance has been noticed by everyone.
Apart from films, Rakhi has also appeared in music videos like the famous “Pardesiya” in 2006. she was also part of the 10 contestants in “Big Boss”, the hindi version of “Big Brother”.
Rakhi has been charged for Obscenity for her gestures and skimpy costume at a stage show in Kolhapur. In June 2006, she again attracted attention when filed a molestation case against pop singer Mika, who forcibly kissed her at his birthday party, where she was a guest.
Overall, in a span of just about 4 years, Rakhi has earned a name for herself in the industry. She admits that she is a self made person with no connections and contacts in Bollywood. She is deeply interested in Christianity and feels calm and serene reading the Bible. She is also a strong follower of lord Ganesha.