Cricketer-turned-television actor, Salil Ankola's most treasured possession is his wife Parineeta. "In a lot of ways I am more like her baby. She is far more organised than I am, so I always consult her before doing anything at all," says Salil. The couple studied together in school and college in Pune before they took their wedding vows in 1988, when Salil was just 22. "Which is why we are friends first," he says.And the only time he was forced to stay away from his lady love was during his long cricket tours abroad. "I couldn't take her along because of the Board's restrictions. And I found that my telephone bills had hit the roof," he says.
Parineeta, who is a trained hairdresser from the Morris Institute in Singapore, gave up her career and chose to concentrate on bringing up their children instead. "She wanted to start her own beauty shop, but after the birth of our children that took a back seat. She is now planning to pursue her career," says Salil.
And naturally, she was the driving forcebehind Salil's decision to act in Chahat Aur Nafrat. "I was sitting at home after being operated for a shin injury. That kept me away from the game for a long time. I had nothing to do and was thoroughly bored. She, along with a couple of friends talked me into it," he says.
And while he concedes that Parineeta takes many of their decisions, he insists that he isn't exactly under her thumb. "I admire her forthrightness. She is very straightforward and utterly frank. If she doesn't like anything that I do, she tells me right away," says the doting husband.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
