Actress Celina Jaitley `abused' by Pakistani cricketers

Mar 26, 2008 Subhash K. Jha

Mumbai, March 26 (IANS) This certainly isn't cricket. Actress Celina Jaitley alleged that cricketers from across the border abused her after she performed at the Indian Cricket League (ICL) match between Pakistan and India.

On Sunday, Celina had finished her performance and was taking what she calls a "glory round" with her security personnel around the stadium, when she heard loud abuses in Hindi coming out of the players' enclosure.

"At first I couldn't believe where it was coming from. I still want to give them the benefit of doubt because it's so hard to believe they could behave this way," she said with a shudder, recalling that she wanted to rush back to her car and drive away from the nightmare.

"But I couldn't because the security guys wouldn't let me pass. So I was stuck listening to myself being described in the most colourful language," Celina, who was seen in films like "No Entry" and "Shakalaka Boom Boom", told IANS.

The ex-Miss India refuses to lay the blame on anyone for the abusive incident, but she does admit that she recognises the Pakistani players because she had participated in a TV interview with them for a sports channel.

She said: "But what hurts and offends me more is the fact that people from our own country have chosen to speak on behalf of those who abused me. As they say, I am 'just another Bollywood actress'. Fine. Does that mean I don't command even the respect that other woman get?"

All in all it hasn't been a very pleasant Easter and Holi weekend for Celina.

"I attended my producer Kumar Mangatji's Holi bash Saturday and then having ensured that I wasn't required for shooting Sunday, I left for Delhi for the ICL, tired and irritable. I had no clue what was waiting for me. And to top it all, I had observed Lent this Easter and was very weak and depleted. This wasn't what I expected."

Celina is a child of a mixed marriage. Her father is a Punjabi and her mother is an Afghan.