Beauty’s Buffer

Palmist, producer and paternal figure all rolled in one

When Aishwarya Rai’s powerful secretary Hari Singh meets a stranger, he immediately asks them to hold out their palms. He delicately probes the flesh, studies the contours, marks the lines, and then begins his three-point diagnosis. “I judge a person based on what I see in their hands, but I always stress on the positive,” says Singh, who studied astrology under the tutelage of Nehru’s spiritual consultant.

Oozing Old Delhi wit and charm, Singh, 55, has perfected the art of making people feel special. A native Hindi speaker but comfortable with English, he maintains an easy tone for each of the 200-odd calls he receives a day. Especially remarkable when you consider he’s managing the day-to-day activities of India’s biggest female star.

“It’s a job that requires an extremely cool head and I try to be straight with people,” says the former Venus executive producer, who began working for Aishwarya four-and-a-half years ago. “The hardest part is making sure we get our money, the next is negotiating shooting dates with producers — without coming off as arrogant,” adds the General Musharraf lookalike, who met Rai before she became Miss India, read her palm and told her she was going to be a phenomenon.

“Beneath all the charm, charisma, and talk of the celestial, lies a good human being,” says Aishwarya, “He’s like my dad.”

Singh, who grew up near Delhi, spent his childhood summer selling tickets at his uncle’s movie theatre. He entered the industry as a screenwriter in 1968, moving to Madras 12 years later to become a production controller. “I learnt how to be a professional in the South; every movie there is made within the budget and on time,” says Singh, who has promoted artistes like Sridevi and Padmini Kolhapure.

Despite Bollywood’s widespread cost overruns and frequent star tantrums, Singh has now decided to plunge into big-time producing. “No film ever flops; its price does,” says Singh who has five projects in the pipeline, in different stages—with at least one starring Ash. “If you keep wasting money while making a film, chances are it’ll never be recovered. I’m going to ensure we do things right,” he adds.

Aiding Singh on his mission is a 20-something group of scriptwriters, directors and actors, who belong to his young academy, Star Guide. Film-maker Samir Karnik is the latest entrant. “The course is basically free and I give job guarantees to everybody who joins on — I’m looking for youthful, energetic people to mould,” says Singh.

The catch: before accepting anyone, Singh has to like what he sees in their palms.

Diya’s Defender

This buddy holds her hand through all her lows

When young Zahid Khan told Saif Ali Khan that he was interested in being his secretary, the actor appeared baffled. “But you don’t wear safari suits and white chappals, smoke 555s and chew paan,” joked Saif. Zahid soon had the job.

“When I started out nine years ago, rivals said I was too young and inexperienced,” says Zahid, who has worked for Manisha Koirala, Saif and Shakti Kapoor, who still sends him dirty jokes over SMS. “I made mistakes, but I also work eight days a week, running from pillar-to-post for my clients,” adds the 28-year-old who spends these days juggling the schedules of sisters Kareena and Karisma Kapoor as well as Diya Mirza.

Zahid started out in the industry in 1993 as a director’s assistant, a job he landed through elder brother Anwar, Shah Rukh’s secretary at the time. “I chose to work with Zahid because he isn’t filmy, meaning when he approached me he did it in a professional way, through somebody I trusted,” says Diya, adding, “So many people used to just walk up to me on the sets, act familiar and rattle off all the roles they would get me — which I found a little inappropriate.”

Unlike the paternal relationship most Bollywood secretaries have with their clients, Diya and Zahid are buddies. “Many secretaries push actresses to work so that they can fill their pockets and plates. But I’ve never felt that with Zahid,” says Diya, adding, “I know he wants me to take on quality projects, even if it means we both take a pay cut in the short term.”

The duo have weathered some tough times, what with a large section of the media reaching for sensational stories involving the former beauty queen. “There was a period when magazines were writing lots of hurtful stories, linking Diya with all her co-stars. It was very hard for her,” says Zahid, adding, “Diya’s a very emotional person — I had to be her rock and explain that the time would pass.”

And the relationship seems to be set on solid ground. “Zahid’s not very wise, but neither am I,” says Diya. “But we’re constantly learning from our errors and thoroughly enjoying the journey.”

Bipasha’s Bastion

He handles everything from reel-life to real estate

“I don’t need a diary because I have Bipasha’s schedule stuck in my head,” says Bollywood veteran Jatin Rajguru, who manages business for the sexy Bengali star. Rajguru, 56, is a wizard with numbers: as a student in the late ’70s, he earned pocket money giving accounts tuitions to a college going Sunny Deol.

Over the last 15 years, Rajguru has played secretary to a host of Bollywood beauties: Aishwarya, Karisma and Juhi, to name a few. The fact that he’s been around the block is what attracted Bipasha to the chain-smoking Gujarati. “When I entered the industry, I didn’t know how anything worked: I had absolutely no film background,” says Bipasha, adding, “Jatin’s handled a lot of stars and knows everybody.”

Yet it’s not that the secretary and star share a business-only relationship. “My parents don’t live in this city, so I rely on Jatin to take care of so many details, like helping me set up my dream house — it’s not like his job ends with getting me films and dates,” says Bipasha.

In fact, Jatin often behaves like an anxious dad: ‘‘Whenever I need to escape from work and spend a night on the town, I put my phone off, which upsets him. Jatin doesn’t mind if I party, but wants to know where I am at all times.”

The traditional boss-secretary dynamic applies no more. ‘‘Stars of this generation treat us with respect — my clients no longer call me ‘secretary,’ but refer to me as their business manager,” says Rajguru with a hint of pride. He adds: ‘‘I manage every aspect of my clients’ professional lives, including ensuring their cheques are deposited. Also, unlike the old days, they don’t ask me to endlessly wait on the sets while they work; now I solve all their problems with a phone call.”

Raveena’s Rock

This ‘simpleton’ has become part of the family

Chand Mishra journeyed from his village on the Nepal-Bihar border to Bombay in the early ’70s, with dreams of striking it big as a Bollywood playback singer. “It was the era of people like Kishore Kumar and Mohammed Rafi, so it was hard to break through,” says Mishra, who’s now Raveena Tandon’s point man.

Mishra spent his first few months in Bombay at a Charni Road lodge, sharing a hall and bathroom with ten men. “The boarders used to taunt me. They called me a simpleton, said that I was too naive to make it in Bollywood,” says the serene 51-year-old.

Yet it’s just these qualities that seemed to have fuelled Mishra’s career.

“I’ve been offered bribes from people to help rope Raveena into their projects, but I’ve never given in,” says Mishra, adding, “When I needed money for my house, car and daughter’s wedding, I went to the Tandons and they cut me a cheque immediately.”

The sentiment flows both ways. “I’m not interested in being managed by some smooth operator because I’m scared about being stabbed in the back,” says Raveena, adding, “If the person who represents me is a wheeler-dealer, it reflects poorly on me — Chandji’s so innocent and honest that he’s become part of the family.”

“Raveena has never owned a diary because she trusts me completely — whether it’s with her money or scheduling her shooting dates,” says Mishra, who managed characters artists like Tej Sapru and Dalip Tahil before joining Raveena’s team in 1995. “I would never do anything to hurt her.”