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ShareHer life filled reams of gossip magazines in the '60s and her glam girl image made her the favourite child of tabloids. Kareena N Gianani talks to Anju Mahendroo
Anju Mahendroo is no novice to the photographer's lens. No tugging at the dupatta and readjusting it for this lady -- she doesn't consult the photographer before the shoot or discuss which angle brings out the best of her.
Mahendroo leans just the right angle forward, turns sideways and tilts her face in a way she knows suits her best. She smiles just enough for the camera -- it's not constrained and just about reaches her eyes.
Unabashed and unapologetic, Mahendroo gets candid on why Botox is not for her, how she could have made it big in films and why she hates Page 3 PYTs pouting at photographers.
"A dear friend of mine was frantic on the phone and needed no prodding to pour out her woes. 'I saw myself in the mirror, Anju... and I hated what I saw -- crow's feet and drooping eyelids -- I've never looked like this in my life.' Well, she had never been 60 before either!
I am aware of my age only when I count the candles on my birthday cake. It's a non-issue otherwise. Agedoesn't mean frequenting Botox clinics, jabbing needles or giving a thumbs-up to the doctor for the artificial, wrinkle-free forehead he can give me.
Fake and fussy -- that's what it is and I am happier without these 'little joys' of life. It's no secret that I wear a wig and dye my hair but I don't think nip and tuck can make one feel 25 at 60.
I've always been fascinated with the fact that men and women age so differently. At a girl's night out, we once discussed how they have the last laugh. Take a man sporting the salt-and-pepper look and you have young girls gushing over his 'dignity'.
He has no worries even if his hairline recedes -- all he has to do is shave it off and sport a bald pate with panache. I have observed women in the industry and outside who hesitate to wear their age on their sleeve so that the media continues to hang around.
But why shouldn't the media move on? We've had our stint with the paparazzi and I personally welcome the respite. I know one is sidelined after a certain age and it's better to step down gracefully than pop up at the most unexpected parties and wriggle one's way into photographs.
However, I wonder if today's PYTs will ever prescribe to this notion. I am all for youngsters who know exactly what they want and how they can get it but I see the extreme side at Page 3 parties and it doesn't appeal.
Making a beeline for the photographers, making small talk with that rehearsed pout -- it all puts me off. I miss the joy of throwing a party for fun's sake and not having business cards shoved under one's nose. Celebrities maintained a certain amount of exclusivity and that made it so graceful in the '60s and '70s.
Having said that, I do not deny the bright side of working with a very professional bunch of youngsters. Sometimes, as I look at them, I feel a twinge of regret that I was not half as focussed about my career.
I started modelling at 13, accepted any film I liked till 17 and then gave up work for a man till 23. I always went with the flow, never planning and calculating my decisions. I feel those six years could have proved well worth it had I continued work.
Today, the insomniac I am, I live for the present, work long hours and make no bones about my vices. Neither do I fool myself about giving them up.
I find solace in my work and look forward to rekindling my lost love for Kathak and classical music. Ruminating and getting philosophical about the past is something I don't indulge in."
