There’s no ‘I love you’ situation so far between us-SAYALI BHAGAT

When former Miss India and actress SAYALI BHAGAT and Pakistani cricketer and Delhi Daredevils player SHOAIB MALIK were seen together at a Mumbai hotel, it was bound to make news.

Reports said that the two are in love, that they met at a store launch in Delhi about a year ago, and have kept in touch since then, with Shoaib making “special trips” to India and showering her with attention.

However, when DT contacted her to know more about the Delhi event where it all began, Sayali had this to say - “The truth is that we’re just friends. Right now, we’re not dating, but are thinking about it. It’s too early to say that I’m ‘dating’ him. We’ve been in and out of touch since IPL, we’ve been meeting on and off and that’s how he’s been taking out time to meet me. But it’s not true that he’s been coming to India to meet me.”

So is it an affair, or is it not? “It’s not an affair,” she clarifies. “It’s true that we have gone out on a couple of quiet dinners. But the point is that I don’t yet know him that closely, and it’s too early to say we’re dating. An ‘I like you’ has come, but There’s no ‘I love you’ situation so far between us.”

In fact, she says that Shoaib called her yesterday morning after he came to know of the news. “He asked me about the whole thing. I told him clearly that we’re friends and let’s be honest about it. He told me very categorically to say that we’re only friends. If there’s anything, we’ll let you know. He has his career and I have mine. Above all, both our families shouldn’t be bothered over this,” she says.

Has she visited Pakistan to meet him? “I must’ve met him only eight or 10 times, and I’ve never visited Pakistan. The last time I met him was during IPL, about two-three months ago. We’re fond of each other but it’s too early to talk about it. In fact, after the news came out, the media in Pakistan has been harassing Shoaib,” she fumes. “I’m clear about the whole thing. I don’t want to send the wrong signal by saying it’s official. I like him, I haven’t said I love him. Right now, I really want to focus on my career. Yes, I did meet him last year at a store opening in Delhi, but we hardly spoke at the time. We only started talking when he came to India during IPL,” she says.