New power coterie:The star wives

Gone are the days when a film star’s wife preferred to be almost an invisible part of her famous husband’s glamorous life. Today, she not only endorses brands, but also has a fan following equalling that of her husband’s, most noted example being that of Gauri Khan, who’s as popular as her superstar husband, Shah Rukh Khan. She’s not just a brand by herself —as we saw recently, she also plays mediator when her husband burns his bridges with another member of the film industry. But mess with her, and be prepared to face a dead-end with her loyalists in her power circle.

All hail the new star wife: she’s supportive like before, but not afraid to bare her claws if her turf is challenged. Like, if the grapevine is to be believed, actor Hrithik Roshan’s wife, Sussanne, who’s part of Gauri’s inner circle, was apparently so upset by stories surrounding actor Priyanka Chopra’s ‘closeness’ to Shah Rukh that she reportedly kept her out of the guest list  to celebrate the success of her hubby’s recent film. Another rumour floating around is that at a party thrown by society swan Parmeshwar Godrej for international TV chat queen Oprah Winfrey had Gauri’s circle of star wives including actor Arjun Rampal’s wife, former supermodel Mehr Jessia apparently avoiding Priyanka. Filmmaker Karan Johar, who’s close to Gauri,  too has decided not to work with PC, suggests rumours.

Commenting on the power coterie of star wives today, society columnist  Fahad Samar says, “All wives yield power, why should a star wife be any different? In fact, the film industry is full of insecurities, doubts and jealousy. So if a star wife is safeguarding her turf, it’s entirely understandable.”
Actor Akshay Kumar’s wife, former actor Twinkle was one of the first star wives to have an identity of her own as an interior designer, and is also known to have a say in her husband’s work and life.

In another instance, actor Sanjay Dutt’s wife Maanyata came into her own reckoning despite rumoured initial protests when she married Dutt. Today having overcome opposition to her starlet past, Maanyata is now seen as the woman who reined in the ‘bad boy’ and is a star in her own right. In fact, she also recently launched a luxury watch. An invite for her Mata ki chowki  was attended by the who’s who of the industry including the Bachchans and the Khans. A source, regular at social dos says that befriending a star wife is probably the easiest way to get into a star’s good books today. “I know of a wannabe actor who tried sucking up to a star’s wife and even used the wife’s closeness to filmmakers to get two bit roles in films, or ribbon cutting assignments. Of course, a few spats later, the wife made sure that the ‘upcoming actor’ was publicly ostracised and humiliated,” says the society insider.  Another instance of how star wives now know their power and aren’t afraid to use it .