Hindustan Times ST (Jaipur) - Hindustan Times (Jaipur) - City
ILEANA SPEAKS UP FOR BEAU
Most Bollywood stars avoid talking about their personal lives and are quite guarded when asked about their relationship status. But actor Ileana D’cruz, who is dating Australian photographer Andrew Kneebone, wears her heart on her sleeve and often posts couple pictures on social media. However, the actor reveals that she was asked to keep her relationship a secret, but she didn’t pay heed. “Initially, I was told to not speak about my relationship. And while I don’t have an issue talking about it, it’s unfair that people are being unnecessarily harsh to him (Andrew). It is unfair to subject him to harsh comments just because I am a celebrity. He is entitled to his privacy and respect and he deserves both in equal measure. He is a great person, and it did affect me when people left harsh comments on my social media posts. But I give it back to nasty trolls,” says the actor, talking about mean comments that people post on the couple’s pictures. While there were rumours that she recently married her beau, Ileana says that commitment is what matters most to her. “I think, more than anything else, it all boils down to how committed you are. You could be dating, in a live-in relationship or married – the commitment level has to be the same. I have also grown up in the last four to five years,” she says. Professionally, too, Ileana is doing well. After Rustom (2016) she has two releases this year. Though she did Rustom after a hiatus of two years, the actor says she didn’t really fear losing out on projects during her time off. “I have refused a lot of big films in the past because I didn’t have much to do. After 11 years of working in films, I take great pride in being choosy. It pains me to do crap work, so I will not sign just about anything. So far, all my decisions have worked out for me. Also, I don’t think I need to be in your face all 365 days a year for people to remember me. My work should speak for me,” says the actor, who stars in Baadshaho with Ajay Devgn and Emraan Hashmi.