ICE-BREAKER

Raima: So, what have you been up to?

Brett: Been good. Been resting. I have my four-year-old boy here with me. He’s called Preston and he’s here with his mother (Elizabeth Kemp). We’re not together but his mother did the right thing and brought him over. He’s been playing in the pool and driving his little car around.

Raima: It’s very hot here. I’ve been shooting and it’s been very hot.

Brett: I had a film commercial shoot for KKR yesterday at 1.30 in the afternoon and it was perspiring hot.

Raima: I’ve never been to Australia. My sister’s (Riya) been there.

Brett: You’ll love it. I was born in the country down south but I moved to Sydney when I was 20 for my work.

Oh Calcutta

Brett: Now, I actually feel a part of the community here, like a part of Calcutta. The moment I walk into Eden Gardens people cheer “Binga! Binga! Binga!” I had never thought in my wildest dreams that I’d come to India or Calcutta as a cricketer and be cheered like a home local. It’s amazing what the IPL has done. People here know my stats better than I do!

The fan frenzy? People in India just adore cricket; in Australia it’s like ‘yeah, it’s a good sport’ but won’t watch every single game. If I walked out on the street people might shake a hand or pat your back but they leave you alone. But here….

Raima: You’ll get mobbed! I’m born and brought up here so it’s not so bad. I think other cities are more star hungry than Calcutta. The best thing about Calcutta for me is that all my school friends are here. I also love the food and my phuchka.

Brett: You love your.… ?

Raima: Phuchka. It’s called paani puri in Bombay.

Brett: Is it some sort of dessert?

Raima: No. It’s a delicacy here. Very spicy and made with tamarind water and you have to gulp it down at one go.

Fashion forward

Brett: I started out with menswear when I was 17. I still design, work at the shop, attend to customers, serve them and chat with them. The label’s been up and running for the past 11 years. We sell jeans, three-quarter tees and unisex apparel.

Raima: So, do you wear most of your own stuff?

Brett: I do. Now we’ve gone into more corporate clothing. Suits, shirts and ties are what we specialise in. The Australian cricket team now wears my label. They wear my suits, shirts and ties.

Raima: What’s it called?

Brett: BL. It stands for the Brett Lee label because we haven’t been able to think of another name till now! We’re looking to do a line for women as well and we want to launch it here in India. I’m speaking to a couple of manufacturers and distributors. We’d like to do some traditional clothing for the men because I’ve tried it a couple of times myself.

Showstopper

Brett: I’ve walked for the fashion week in India a few times. It was funny that I was asked to walk out last and then they just closed the show!

Raima: That makes you the showstopper!

Brett: I like the fact that it’s so much out of my comfort zone. I know about different lines and cuts so I appreciate the clothing but for me to go out there and walk is quite embarrassing. All those cameras and lights... Phew!

Raima: I love wearing those beautiful clothes but I get very nervous (on the ramp). I’m always worried about falling down.

Brett: The girls, poor things, are on stilettos on a slippery surface. It’s like brandy on ice.

Being Lee

Raima: Do you also have an electronics line called Bing Lee?

Brett: No! There’s a Chinese electrical company in Australia called Bing Lee!

Raima: Which has nothing to do with you? (Laughs.)

Brett: No, but what happened is while I was growing up because of my surname, people started calling me Bing or Binga after Bing Lee. That’s actually how I got my nickname. But I’d rather be known as Bing Lee than ug-lee!

Raima: Lee, I thought was a Chinese surname...

Brett: It is. And it’s funny that while growing up I’d order for Chinese food in the name of Lee and when I’d go over to fetch the food, I’d find myself waiting for half an hour until I’d tell them I’ve been standing for so long and they’d go… ‘What! You’re Lee?!’

Raima: (Laughs) But have you tasted some Bengali food yet?

Brett: A little bit but I haven’t tried the traditional kind. I’d like to.

Raima: There are some really good places here like Kewpie’s and Oh! Calcutta. But I like eating Bengali food at home. It’s the best.

Brett: Our coach (Dav Whatmore) has been calling me Bing-a-lee as in Bengali!

Raima: We’re also called Bongs. I did a movie called The Bong Connection.

Movie maiden

Brett: So do you enjoy acting?

Raima: I do. My mother (Moon Moon Sen), grandmother (Suchitra Sen) and sister (Riya Sen) are all actresses. I think I always knew I’d be an actress. I’m doing a Bengali film here at the moment and then I go back to Bombay.

Brett: So where are you based?

Raima: I have my family home here and I spend almost six months in Cal but I’m based in Mumbai at the moment. I’ll start working on a Malayalam film next so that’s going to be hard because I don’t know the language at all.

Brett: Is it similar to Hindi?

Raima: Not at all. If you know Bengali you’re bound to know Hindi although I had a hard time learning Hindi because my accent is very Bengali.... You’ve done a Bollywood film, haven’t you?

Brett: Yeah, Victory. It was a cameo appearance. It’s sort of funny because you get offered a lead role in a movie and then you wonder, ‘don’t you want to find out if I can actually act?’

I think I’m going to get some private acting lessons from SRK because I think he wants to learn how to bowl properly! Apparently, he used to be a good wicket-keeper.

Raima: But you must have learnt some Hindi by now?

Brett: My Hindi is thoda thoda! Aap kaisey hai?

Raima: (Laughs) Achhi hun!

Brett: Bahut achha! At a Bollywood awards show in Singapore some years ago I was asked to present the leading actress award and out of the four nominations I kept hoping it would be Preity Zinta because I had just met her a day before and that was the only name I could pronounce. Thankfully, it was her!

Raima: Were you aware of Shah Rukh’s stardom before?

Brett: I’ve been back and forth to India 50-odd times so you get used to who’s popular and who’s on top of the charts. You hear of Shah Rukh Khan, the Big B, his son and Aishwarya Rai. She’s a gorgeous woman. Stunning!

Raima: But do you want to give Bollywood movies a serious thought or not?

Brett: Yes...

Raima: A full-fledged role?

Brett: Yeah, why not. But only after I finish cricket. You need 60 days to shoot a film and I don’t have that kind of time now.

Last film watched

Brett: The Town with Ben Affleck acting and directing.

Raima: Black Swan and The King’s Speech.

Music man

Brett: I love music. I’ve been playing in a band for eight or nine years. I was 20 when I started out. My older brother was in it and three or four cricketers. They had a drummer, a singer, a lead and acoustic guitarist but no one on bass guitar. So I bought myself a bass and said ‘I’m ready’. We called ourselves Six and Out, I taught myself to play and went on to do 300 shows in Australia.

Raima: You’ve done a song with Asha Bhosle as well…

Brett: Kya tum mere ho... haan main tumhara hoon... (laughs.) Yes, I like writing music so I wrote that song. Three or four years ago, a friend of mine who is a professional musician had been talking about doing some stuff together so we formed this band 12 months ago. We were trying to work out a name when we were at this place where every single person but us had white shoes on. It looked like some conspiracy theory, so we called the band White Shoe Theory to make it a little quirky. We’ve written around 10 original songs and we also sing classics like Summer of ’69. We’ve done six shows in Mumbai, Bangalore, Mohali, Goa, Delhi. We might come to Calcutta in June, July or August.

Raima: Do you like Bollywood music?

Brett: I know this song called It’s the time to disco that Preity Zinta would dance to every time Kings XI [his former IPL team] would play. After a match when we’d go to a nightclub or a pub, as soon as we walked in they would play that song.

Now listening to

Raima: Americano.

Brett: Upbeat songs of Black Eyed Peas, a lot of rock by Kings of Leon and classical music when I’m relaxing. Also a lot of old stuff like Eagles and Elvis Presley.

Beyond boundaries

Raima: After cricket what do you want to do?

Brett: I plan to continue with my music and fashion and put a lot back into cricket. I’ve been lucky that I’ve got so much out of it but I want to help the young kids. I’m currently working on building a career academy here in India. It’s not just got to do with academics but also about teaching them cricket and music.

Cricket, boring cricket!

Brett: I love all three formats of the game but IPL is great fun, playing with different cultures. Also, after every ball we get to listen to Indian music! Not AC/DC or Bon Jovi but Muqaabla!

Raima: IPL is exciting but I prefer One-Days.

Brett: I actually can’t watch cricket. I’m too hyperactive and I find it very boring! I might watch some highlights for research but if I’m at home I’d flip the channel and rather play the piano, the guitar or learn new songs.

Thrill pill

Raima: I’m petrified of heights so the craziest thing I’ve done is skydive in Chicago. I thought it would be a good way to get over the fear. I thought my ears were going to burst.

Brett: If you’re looking for thrill, you should go and face the Pakistani bowler Shoaib Akhtar who bowls at 160. You’ve got .03 seconds to see the ball coming at you and that’s scary. Batting against a fast bowler is scary.

Stay fit

Raima: I do hot yoga in Bombay. But that’s it. I’m very lazy.

Brett: Playing 50 overs of cricket or a 20-20 match, all the bowling keeps you fit. But pre-season for 25 weeks it’s three hours a day of gym, sit-ups and boxing to get cricket fit.

KITCHEN SKILLS

Raima: You cook?

Brett: I cook two or three dishes but that’s it. Do you?

Raima: Riya knows how to cook. I can make eggs.

Brett: Eggs? (Laughs out loud.) Poached or boiled?

Raima: I can make scrambled eggs and omelettes.

Brett: We have a very skilled chef here!

A REVELATION

Brett: When I was in high school I used to look after the chickens and pigs in the agricultural shed and some of those pigs were used in the movie Babe. I have a credit in the movie as Brett Lee — pig-handler! Babe took months and months to make and the pigs kept getting bigger. So they had to use 52 different pigs. Some of the pigs I had handled and looked after starred in the movie so they gave me credit as a pig-handler! Now don’t put it in the headlines or no girl will like me!

Raima: Well, I was suspended from school for a month when I was in Class XI because I used to bunk school every Monday. I used to be very sleepy so I’d go to one of the clubs and go to sleep in the ladies’ room. One day my teacher followed me in a taxi and I got caught!

If not a cricketer/ actress?

Brett: I would have been a rock star. I love the thrill of being in front of an audience. On stage they’re right in front of you so it’s a bit more nerve-wracking than a game of cricket but exciting too. I’d never be able to do a 9-to-5 job. I just love that feeling of being on the edge and on a chase.

Raima: I’d do anything that would involve travelling.

 

these are a few of their Favourite things

INDIAN CRICKETER

Brett: It’s hard to get past Sachin Tendulkar. To me, he’s what Indian cricket stands for. Everyone knows he’s a wonderful cricketer but to me what appeals is that he hasn’t been fazed by his fame. That’s very important. He seems like such
a nice bloke.
Raima: It’s Sachin for me too. He seems very down to earth, although I don’t know him personally. My mother’s met him and she had some very nice things to say.

FASHION LABEL

Raima: Zara, Bibi and Miss Sixty.
Brett: With my label I’m inspired by Hugo Boss. I also like the whole Valentino classic single-breasted three-button cuts.

FOOD

Raima: I love Chinese food.
Brett: I’m boring; I like Italian food and I love ham and pineapple pizza. If anyone wants to take me out on a date I’ll just be happy with that. Another favourite is butter chicken.
Raima: The Indian one?
Brett: Yes, I love it. I have it a lot back home. I’ve actually gone into restaurant kitchens and helped the chef make it and the naan and then stick it into the oven!

SIP

Raima: White wine.
Brett: I’ve developed a taste for red wine. Maybe a sign that I’m getting older!

[Mohua Das steered this chat between Brett Lee and Raima Sen]

What question would you like to ask Brett Lee/Raima Sen? Tell t2@abp.in