1. They met and fell in love in 1999 during the making of International Khiladi. It was hate at first sight for the sophisticated chic, well-read Twinkle. Akshay took up the challenge of winning her over. Ironically, in the film Twinkle kept chasing Akshay when in reality it was the other way around.
2. At one point of time, Akshay was simultaneously dating Twinkle and Shilpa Shetty, unsure of which one to marry but sure it would be one of the two. Finally, he picked Twinkle because, as he told me simply, “Tina makes me laugh.” Shilpa married Raj Kundra who shares his birthday with Akshay.
3. Mutual friends and close family members didn’t give the Akshay-Twinkle shaadi more than six months. “Akshay likes the idea of being associated with Dimple and her daughters as he thinks they bring an element of sophistication in his life. The charm will wear off soon,” someone in the know had commented. The two have been married for 14 years.
4. Twinkle, aka Tina, hated acting. Akshay loves it. She happily retired after marriage. Akshay says he will never retire.
5. Akshay is errrrrr, ahem. Twinkle is ouch. He is the epitome of diplomacy. Twinkle tells it like it is. During the making of the film Mela, Twinkle had huge arguments with her director Dharmesh Darshan because she couldn’t connect with what was going on.
6. Twinkle never could suck up to her co-stars. She was blunt to the point of being obnoxious with Aamir Khan during Mela and he loved it. She refused to pamper Salman Khan’s ego during Jab Pyar Kissi Se Hota. He hated it.
7. As is the case with that other intelligent and sharp star-wife Kajol, Twinkle has her own friends, independent of Akshay’s circle. Karan Johar is Twinkle’s best friend since her childhood. He is also Kajol’s best friend.
8. Akshay is very close to Twinkle’s mother Dimple Kapadia. Dimple was initially very suspicious of Akshay’s roving-eyed reputation. But with time she has grown to depend on him for advice.
9. Twinkle and her legendary superstar-father, the late Rajesh Khanna, share the same birthday, December 29. Each year on this occasion, Akshay makes sure he takes time off to celebrate his wife’s and father-in-law’s birthday in a special way.
10. Akshay has always encouraged Twinkle’s writing skills. He reads through every word that his wife writes to make sure she doesn’t end up offending politicians and religious sects. The title of her book Mrs Funnyboneswas given by her husband.
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