ISLAMABAD: External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee carried a special gift for Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani during his recent visit to Pakistan a box full of movies of Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai.
Gilani, 55, who lists Aishwarya and Shahrukh Khan as his favourite film stars, said it was a "pleasant surprise" when he unwrapped the box presented to him by Mukherjee and found it was full of DVDs of movies starring the Indian actress.
The Prime Minister said Mukherjee's aides might have found out about his favourite heroine from his book "Chah-e-Yousuf Say Sada", in which he wrote about watching Aishwarya's movies on his laptop while he was imprisoned during 2001-06 by the Pervez Musharraf regime.
Mukherjee visited Islamabad during May 20-21 to resume the composite dialogue process with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
The Indian Minister also met Gilani and President Pervez Musharraf.
During an appearance on a morning show on the ARY Oneworld TV news channel, Gilani also said he was not opposed to the screening of Indian films in Pakistani cinema halls. Gilani discussed his taste in clothes and movies and said good music always helped lift his mood
He said he liked to listen to the songs of Mohammed Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar and Nayyara Noor, a Pakistani ghazal singer who was born in Assam.
Gilani said he could comfortably wear all types of clothes, including sherwanis, salwar kameezes and safari suits, though he was more at ease in the national dress. He added that he liked to wear black.
The Pakistan premier, who took over the reins of the government in March, said he was health conscious and very particular about his eating habits.
"I religiously followed a fitness pattern since the time I was in jail, including jogging, exercise and maintaining a garden, though I don't find time for such activities now."
Replying to a question on the career he would have chosen if he had not taken up politics, Gilani said he would have been an architect. Asked about President Pervez Musharraf's assertion in his autobiography "In the Line of Fire" that governing Pakistan is one of the most difficult jobs in the world, Gilani said, "Yes, I agree with it."
He also said Musharraf's straight-forwardness was one of the things he liked best about the President. "He is very frank and straight-forward," Gilani said.
Commenting on the personality of Pakistan People's Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, Gilani said he was inspired by Zardari's sense of humour and his ability to use his wit to say "difficult things in an amusing manner".
Zardari's biggest strength were his party and his slain wife Benazir Bhutto's goodwill, he said.
He termed the assassination of former premier Bhutto as the "most unforgettable incident of his life".
Gilani said after he assumed the office of prime minister, his routine had become tougher and left him with little time for his family. "Now, I hardly get four to five hours of sleep. Sometimes I have to work like a robot."
He also said that he felt strange when his family and children needed to make an appointment to talk to him due to his busy schedule. Asked how expressive he was in sharing his emotions, Gilani said, "I am very discreet about such things and relatively a miser in expressing sentiments... if I am depressed, I just go to sleep and do not discuss the matter with anyone."
