Mini Mathur burst onto the screen as an MTV veejay, and also with such shows as Hip Hip Hurray and Khubsoorat on Zee TV. She soon won the hearts of viewers with her inimitable style, but gave it all up two years ago when her son Vivan was born. Mini recently made a big comeback on Sony?s Indian Idol which saw her pairing up with co-anchor Aman Varma and the duo quickly became household names. The show over, Mini?s now concentrating on Popkorn, the entertainment show on Zoom channel. Right now, she has plenty of interesting offers but is taking time off and not going on a signing spree.

Mini?s husband Kabir Khan started his career as a freelance photographer in Delhi. With a M.A. in filmmaking from Delhi?s Jamia Milia Islamia, Kabir made a name for himself as a documentary filmmaker. His first big project as a cameraman was with director Goutam Ghosh when he was shooting the documentary Beyond the Himalayas in 1994. In 1997, Kabir made his first directorial venture called Forgotten Army tracing Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose?s Azad Hind Fauj. At present, he is working on a feature film in Hindi, the name of which will be announced in a month.

MINI ON KABIR

Kabir and I met on the sets of a show called Name the Home TV Family Contest on Home TV in 1996. He was the show?s cameraman and I was the anchor. We struck up a friendship instantly and bonded over certain smaller things. Slowly we realised that we were made for each other. We had a courtship of one-and-a-half-years and in February 1998, we tied the knot.

Now that we have been married for seven years, we are very used to each other. There?s a common saying that once you are married, romance flies out of the window. But thankfully for us, nothing of that sort happened and we are today the same Cupid-struck lovers we were earlier. The only difference is that now we have our son Vivan to keep us company. The birth of our son has brought new meaning in our lives. Honestly speaking, we didn?t plan a baby. But when he came along it was a nice feeling for both of us.

Professionally, I took time off after Vivan was born and was happy at the way things were shaping up. I had no intention of coming back but Kabir encouraged me to think about my career and helped me to return. Today, I feel lost if he?s not by my side. He never forces his opinions on me but gives me space. What I like in him is the fact that he is a very balanced human being, a loving husband and a caring father. But what I hate is that he tends to be very messy sometimes.

Both of us have similar likes and dislikes. We are very adventurous by nature and love to travel. Kabir has travelled to nearly 50 countries because of his work and he insists that we should take a break once in a while from our work. Our honeymoon was quite different from what people usually have. We went to the Philippines where Kabir decided that we should do a four-day certification course in diving which might help us in the future. So unlike other lovey-dovey couples, we were busy taking diving lessons. And now that we have a certification course in it, we can try it anywhere in the world. Recently, we went holidaying in Singapore and went diving at Redang, off the South China Sea.

We are also crazy about films and catch up on the latest releases. Though we have extremely busy schedules, whenever we have time we love to be in each other?s company. Both of us are extremely house-proud and on weekends, we socialise and invite our friends over to our home. Life is full of fun when Kabir is around and there is never a dull moment for us.

KABIR ON MINI

There was instant chemistry when I met Mini because not only was she pretty but also very friendly. We had a tumultuous courtship as I had to travel a lot for work. Therefore, I could not spend much time with Mini which was her main grievance. But wherever I went, I used to write to her and send pictures of those places. Unfortunately, my letters were always full of details about these places as I knew that if her parents read anything else, she?d have a tough time.

Marriage has not changed us as persons but today we have become used to each other. She?s very understanding and can gauge my moods very well. She continues to motivate me with her suggestions and vice versa. I also tell her to take a close look at her career and take up interesting projects. What is really nice about her is that before signing any good project, she consults many times with me. We like doing things together like going out and socialising with friends. For me, love is belonging to each other and I am always there for her in her moments of glory. The fact that she?s a celebrity doesn?t bother me. I feel flattered when people recognise her and request her for autographs.

We are more like friends than husband and wife. Mini is very sensitive to people around her and it is the same sensitivity and intelligence, which is reflected on-screen. We have a very open relationship and it is trust that keeps our marriage afloat. We know each other very well and it is her honesty that makes our marriage so special.