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HOTTEST SINGLES OF INDIA
By M H AHSAN
Irfan Pathan: This 21-year-old is fresh.. in every way. No juicy scandals, salacious gossip, steamy link-ups, nothing. Part of the baby brigade of cricketers, Irfan was the teeny-bopper pin-up boy. "He's sooo cute ya!" was the mantra when the bowler burst on the cricketing scene as a teenager. Now at 21, he's displayed a weakness for getting into verbal duels with batsmen, and has hung out with buddy Yuvraj long enough to get a taste of the good life.
Irfan can no longer be termed cute, he's graduated into the "hot" category. Yes, Dhoni did give him a bit of competition, but his curly locks won over Dhoni's coloured tresses, and Irfan's officially the sexiest player in the team. But is he a "player"? Not really, going by the reports. But there's one rumour that refuses to die completely, and that is of his friendship with a certain teen tennis sensation.
Sania Mirza: Reams of newsprint have been used in discussing her nose ring, slogan tees and glasses. Ever since Sania blossomed from a slightly podgy teen into a savvy adult (yes, 18 does qualify you to adulthood), she has become the darling of the nation.
Sania is also the face of several large brands and can boast of commanding a fee that surpasses that of many senior cricketers. In fact, after a ramp appearance, she was even offered several film roles. But strangely enough, the Sania with streaked hair and glossy lips is not what appeals.
Guys swear that it's the Sania on court that sets the libido racing. And no, it's not the short tennis skirts that do the trick. "Watching her race across the courts and smash the ball in a display of raw power is such a turn-on. Especially because you can see that she's so focused on the game and not at all aware of her hair or clothes or anything," says Pico Khanna, Mumbai-based graphic designer. And he has a nation of men who agree: Sania is sexy because she doesn't know it.
Malini Ramani: Malini's unpredictable, with a wild streak. That describes her and her clothes. They are not for the conservative, neither is she. Malini's appeal is in her rockstar-like quality. You never know what you're going to get, but you certainly won't get bored. Malini's always been the quintessential rebel. Born in New York, she came to India when she was 11. Her parents put her in a boarding school, which she ran away from a few years later.
She dabbled in a number of fields: radio, television, nightclubs (the infamous Jessica Lal shoot-out took place at a nightclub that she and her mother Bina Ramani ran), and even wrote a gossip column. In fact, very few will remember an old Shweta Shetty music video that featured Malini and her then fiancé Arjun Rampal.
It was through fashion that she finally found her identity. She is arguably the only designer whose brief ramp appearance overshadows all the glamorous models displaying her clothes. Malini's sexy, and she's single. Why? "Because no man can match her charisma. They all look like her flunkies. She's too strong a personality," explains a designer friend of hers. Well, then we say more power to her!
Sabeer Bhatia: He never outgrew the "Hotmail" tag. And there's no reason for him to. Sabeer Bhatia's claim to fame is attached to the names of nearly every email user in the world — does it get more impressive than that? This Bangalore boy launched Hotmail in 1996, sold it a year later to Microsoft for $400 million and became the poster boy of Internet success. Like most good Indian boys, Sabeer has been looking for a life-partner for quite some time. He first set his sights on the (then) reigning Miss World Aishwarya Rai. However, her (then) boyfriend Salman Khan foiled all attempts by reportedly stubbing a cigarette on Sabeer's hand, saying "You wanted Ash? You got ash."
The billionaire then moved on to lawyer Geeta Oberoi and they got engaged. But that too didn't last long. Today, the still single hot male says, "I view marriage very differently. Now I'll wait for the right woman." He admits that he hasn't been lucky in love, adding, "The higher you go the lonelier it gets."
So girls, if you come across this extremely eligible boy, he loves home-cooked food, Indian values, and is looking for someone with a caring nature, and plans to settle down in India. His sex appeal? Millions of dollars in the bank... and a nice smile.
Milind Soman: It's Tuff to separate the man from the mental image. After all, how often does one get to see the Indian Adonis in his birthday suit? Milind Soman has held on to his sexy title for well over a decade. Now in his forties, the country's original supermodel can still give John Abraham a run for his money.
Milind set a precedent for the lean physique that everyone strives for today, when all his contemporaries were buffing up and bulging out. And when the Deepak Malhotras were going down in history for disastrous film debuts ("Pallo... Pallo..." in Lamhe), he kept away from commercial cinema and tried the critically acclaimed Rules.. Pyar ka Superhit Formula instead. It wasn't a commercial success so Milind stayed behind the camera and is now a successful producer, his prime time shows include After Hours and Simply Style on Zee English. So what's the secret of Milind's success with the fairer sex? In his own words: "I am in love with all I do. I am in love with everyone I meet." He also admits that he loves being bossed around by women. Top that!
Konkona Sen Sharma: Because of the "Sen Sharma" in her name, many believed that Konkona is married. But she explains that Sen is her mother's family name and Sharma is her father's. "When I was very young, I was given a choice as to which name I wanted to keep. So I diplomatically chose to keep both since I didn't want to offend any one parent by leaving their name out."
Konkona's love life has been a mystery — there have been no link-ups, no "just good friends". Is she as squeaky-clean as her onscreen image? Apparently not, because the actress was once involved with her co-star Ankur Khanna, who starred with her in Amu and is currently working with her in Naseeruddin Shah's directorial, Yun Hota To Kya Hota. They were college buddies and Konkona admitted they were together at one point of time, but not any more.
The latest link-up is with Ranvir Shourey. Are they an item? "Konkona and I are good friends; we are not seeing each other. If it changes, I will let you know," said Ranvir. So till it changes, the dusky beauty makes the list for being the kind of girl you want to take home to ma.
Abhishek Bachchan: Do we really have to justify Junior B's place on this list? Didn't Sushma Reddy say it all when she said she wanted to marry him? Not have a scene, fling or one-night-stand, but marriage! From a gauche country boy in his debut film to the suave Bluffmaster that he is today, Abhishek's confidence comes from someone who's been to hell and back, but held on and survived the ride. At first he had a broken engagement to his credit, but now he has a string of broken hearts.
The quintessential mama's boy, Abhishek is always hovering protectively around his mother, and is not embarrassed about idolising his dad. Do his obvious family values appeal to the Indian female psyche? Maybe, but so do his dark good looks, lanky frame and newly acquired muscles and dancing skills.
However, girls hold back, because this hottie seems to have a penchant for light-eyed beauties and insiders swear that a former Miss World is responsible for the twinkle in his eye.
Jesse Randhawa: Fireproof the ramp. Jesse's here!": Overheard behind the scenes at LIFW. That might have been a joke, but Randhawa is certainly a rampscorcher.
More than looks, Jesse's all about attitude. She is believed to have said, "I cannot be replaced", and it's no vain boast, because the lean, leggy beauty constantly experiments with styles and fashion to ensure that she brings something new to each show.
The arts graduate, who is also a licensed pilot, has been on the ramp for almost a decade. She apparently lost the Miss India title because she was the only contestant with short hair — which has now become her trademark. Also known to have one of the best bodies in the business, she was formerly married to fellow model Inder Sudan. They parted ways amicably, leaving behind some stunning nude pictures taken by photographer Atul Kasbekar.
She guards her personal life fiercely, but former husband Inder let it slip that she may get married soon. Looks like one of India's sexiest singles will leave this list.
Rahul Gandhi: The Gandhi family charm is in his blood. That, coupled with irresistible dimples and a ready smile, is what sets hearts racing about Rahul. In fact, even political watchers say that his looks are his USP, citing examples of his campaigning days when his resemblance to his late father made villagers swear their allegiance to him.
Truth be told, there's not much to write home about on the academic front. Rahul didn't really complete his degree at St. Stephen's, after which he didn't really get his degree at Harvard (apparently he did not get the required grades), and he might have worked as a financial consultant, but no one's really sure. However, he did land himself a hot Colombian girlfriend, Juanita, and if astrologers are to be believed, he'll walk down the aisle with her this year.
His boyish good looks belie the fact that he's 34 and Congress leaders say Sonia has been politically grooming Rahul over the last five years.
So yes, we forgive him for not completing his degree (hey, even Bill Gates was a high school dropout) because as Dr Anil Wilson, principal of St. Stephen's College, once said, "He had no airs about the famous family he belonged to..." And that's where his appeal lies.
Mallika Sherawat: Her in-your-face attitude and in-your-face assets first shocked, and then slowly spawned a number of admirers. At first it seemed cool to pick on this bindaas Bollywood babe (remember Koffee with Karan? Not a show went by without the nudge-nudge, wink-wink routine whenever her name was brought up), but soon even the likes of Sanjay Leela Bhansali declared that she was the next big thing, and Mallika-bashers slowly retreated.
So what makes Mallika sexy? Surprisingly, not her sexy pout, gravity-defying cleavage or even her toned midriff. It's her "If I want it, I gotta have it" attitude. Men swear that there's nothing sexier than a woman who knows what she wants and is not embarrassed to make a grab for it. And proof of that is the character of Sheena Mallik in the serial Bombay Talking which is said to have been "inspired" by her. After all, isn't imitation the best form of flattery?
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 NEWS GALLERY
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