Malaika Arora on focus on her personal life: Say no when required

Malaika Arora at Lakme Fashion Week model auditions at St Regis in Mumbai (Pic/Yogen Shah)

She is one of the fittest celebrities in Bollywood and is currently in the news more for her personal relationship, but Malaika Arora says that it comes with the territory. She feels one needs to strike the right balance and say "no" when required.

"It comes with the territory. You have to be able to strike the right balance and say 'no' when required. It comes with the business," the actress told IANS in an email from Mumbai, when asked how more focus on her personal life over professional life affects her as a person.

The grapevine has been abuzz that Malaika is currently dating actor Arjun Kapoor and that they may soon tie the knot. However, neither of them have either confirmed or denied this.

In 2016, Malaika split from actor Arbaaz Khan, whom she got married to in 1998. They have a son together.

Asked about how she handles the lows in her life, Malaika said: "At the risk of sounding cliched, my friends, family and yoga really keep me going."

She comes across as someone who is very calm and balanced deep down, and explaining that, she said: "Like I said earlier, it's all a part and parcel of the business. You have to accept that it is a part of the profession you're in. You must learn to strike a balance."

Malaika was one of the judges for the auditions of models for the forthcoming edition of Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) Summer/Resort 2019.

The platform has previously given stars like Deepika Padukone and Katrina Kaif. So, how much of a pressure did she feel while selecting the faces this time and what were the qualities she looked for?

"I think it is very important to express your individuality at such platforms. I don't like the clone, cookie-cutter vibe. I like girls to have their own individuality. They should be different -- whether she is tall, dark or slightly heavy, it is important to be different, to be able to stand out.

"She must offer something new and refreshing... or else they are all clones of each other," said Malaika.

She has been a model herself earlier, so does she think that gone are the days when models were not considered apt to portray powerful roles because of their limitations as actors?

"Times have changed. Some of the biggest names in the business currently have come from a modelling background. There is always an interest of seeing a new model on-screen. Models are being beautifully accepted on-screen and in the business," said Malaika.

The actress is known for her moves in the songs like "Chaiyya Chaiyya", "Gur naalo ishq mitha", "Maahi ve", "Kaal dhamaal" and "Munni Badnaam Hui". She turned a film producer in 2008 with Arbaaz.

Their company Arbaaz Khan Productions has released films like "Dabangg"and "Dabangg 2".

On the career front, Malaika is nowadays primarily seen judging reality shows on the small screen and her visibility on the big screen is not much. Is that intentional?

"Maybe people just think I am a great judge," she replied with a smile emoticon.

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