As a 12-year-old, I fell in love first with Clark Gable and then the character he immortalised, in that order. What intrigues me about Rhett Butler [from Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell] is his innate understanding of women and their psychology, something that eludes most ordinary men. I love that he leaves Scarlett O’ Hara at the end of the novel because his leaving emphasises that this man’s man is ultimately just an ordinary man, the act humanising his larger-than-life character and charisma. Having Clark Gable’s face do the talking on screen only helps Rhett Butler’s cause, thankfully. And now I feel that no living man will ever be able to match up!

How can you not love Mr Darcy? This dream man from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is mature, established, educated and widely read. I love that he is haughty, a little gruff and a bit rude, which comes from his pride, but then to quote him, “where there is a real superiority of mind, pride will be always under good regulation”. He is the quintessential “strong and silent” type but his silence speaks volumes and he is passionate about the one he loves. It helps that I can picture Colin Firth when I dream of him.

I have a girl crush on Carrie Bradshaw. The character became an icon when Candace Bushnell compiled her popular newspaper column Sex and the City into a book of the same name in 1997. The magic began on paper, though we are all probably more familiar with the on-screen character brought alive by Sarah Jessica Parker (and recently by AnnaSophia Robb in The Carrie Diaries). Carrie, cool columnist and a cooler fashionista, stands for everything fabulous. She makes you want to fall in love. With people. And matching shoes. And mismatched clothes. And with New York City. Sigh.

I am in love with Edward Cullen [from the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer]. The films might have given him the gorgeous face of Robert Pattinson but the way the character has been written in the books tells you that he’s too good to be true. But then even vampires don’t exist. He has perfect hair, beautiful eyes and a smile that makes my heart melt and puddle near my feet. He’s loyal and loving, charmingly old-school, chivalrous and knows how to woo his lady. He loves jazz, does not sweat and his breath always smells sweet. Most importantly, I shall never need transportation, he’ll fly me everywhere! Edward Cullen makes you believe in eternal love... the forever kind.

Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth Salander in the Swedish films

I have a huge girl crush on Lisbeth Salander. Everything about “the girl with the dragon tattoo” [from the Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson] fascinates me. Her devil-may-care attitude, her super-sharp brain, her hacker tendencies, her fearlessness, her loyalty and, above all, her complete disregard for society and authority. Sometimes, when the going gets tough, I imagine I am Lisbeth. At the end of Book 1, when Salander falls in love with Mikael Blomkvist but spots him with Erika Berger, my heart broke along with hers. And I adored her even more when the first thing she does after stealing all those millions from the crook Wennerström is get herself new boobs. Whattttagirl!

It would have to be Aragorn II, son of Arathorn, from JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. Originally a Ranger from the North, Aragorn exudes a personality and brooding charisma that would make any girl quiver. He’s a warrior, a severely good-looking one at that, and he loves and protects with a passion. He’s a leader, he takes over from Gandalf in the Fellowship of the Ring, and leads an army of Gondor and Rohan against the Black Gate of Mordor, and he offers his life in protection of Frodo Baggins’s.
He is also a lover and his tragic love for and eventual union with Arwen is one of the most famous loves of literary history.

Ryan O’Neal as Oliver and Ali MacGraw as Jenny in Love Story

My man is Oliver Barrett from Love Story by Erich Segal. Jenny and Oliver are just what every couple would desire to be —madly in love with each other. From the first sentence itself, I fell in love with Oliver. Jenny is just the opposite of rich boy Oliver and as always, opposites attract. The lengths to which Oliver goes to make Jenny happy once he learns about her illness is what love is all about, for me. They fight with each other all the time but that only brings them closer. So much so that each episode brings tears to my eyes.

I love Lucy from the Peanuts comic strip. Schroeder can play any Beethoven composition on a toy piano and Lucy is not good at pretending being a Beethoven fan. And this innocent relationship lends Peanuts as much charm as the comic strip’s “wishy-washy” protagonist Charlie Brown and his four-legged friend Snoopy. Here’s their V-Day conversation: Lucy: Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day. Are you going to give me a Valentine? Schroeder: I never have…. What makes you think I’ll give you one this year?
Lucy: HOPE!!

The literary character I am in love with is Roux, from the Joanne Harris novels Chocolat and The Lollipop Shoes. The free-spirited gypsy is not exactly a man that will make one swoon or even go weak at the knees but there is a certain magnetism about this wanderer that appeals to me. Independent, suave, honest and charming, Roux is the kind who can hold an extremely engaging conversation that might lead to a delightful, iconoclastic, almost poetic love story. And the fact that Roux and I share similar interests, like hot chocolate and blues music, only compounds my love for him.
P.S: Though this has nothing to do with the book, I simply cannot ignore the fact that Johnny Depp played Roux in Chocolat, the movie!

John Cusack as Rob in High Fidelity

I love Rob from Nick Hornby’s High Fidelity. Rob, the 35-year-old record shop owner, is obsessed with music. For Rob, music is everything. He spends his days with his employees, Dick and Barry, at his record store Championship Vinyl listening to music and discussing desert-island top 5 lists. But what Rob really needs is a sense of permanence. When his girlfriend Laura leaves him, he tries to figure out why he can’t keep a relationship together! By turns funny and sad, High Fidelity is for all those who have tried to use pop music to protect themselves from experiences. “What came first, the music or the misery?” wonders Rob. You’ll figure it out once you read the book.