Gulzar Sahab's poetry did not impress me at first because I did not know Hindi, wife Raakhee says

MUMBAI: As word arrives that writer Gulzar has received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, his wife, actress Raakhee, says she is extremely happy and proud that her husband has received Indian cinema's highest honour.
"Khushi hoti hai. Bohot khushi hoti hai. He deserves it. Be it any creation whether it is poetry, lyrics, cinema, he has made his own mark. Gulzar Sahab's style of work has a unique stamp that is very different from the rest.In fact so does his personal life."
The actress laughs and says, "He has a lot of good qualities which brought us together. But initially I was not impressed by his writing because I did not know Hindi when I first met him. Our relationship goes beyond these things. Like me, he loves to read books on a variety of subjects. We share common tastes in music. Both of us are sober people, we do not enjoy 'halla gulla'. There are places he likes to visit that I also like."
His ability to sift the grain from the chaff is what she admires to this day. "It's not like he will do anything. I like that a man should be selective in his choices. When you are served a buffet lunch you cannot eat everything that is laid out, can you? You pick up only what you like. I feel he has earned every bit of his success, unlike me who got everything by fluke. No really, it is true, mujhe jo diya gaya maine nibhaya. But there was no personal ambition that drove my career."
Raakhee says, "People who know my number have been calling to congratulate me and I am thanking them on his behalf. Gulzar Sahab and I are very good friends. We may not live together but that is a choice we made. I find it shocking to see couples abuse one another once they are not living together anymore. One has to adopt a wise, mature approach. My birthday falls on August 15, his on August 18, and we take a five-six day vacation as a family during that time."
"There should not be a question mark over your relationship, over all those lovely years you have shared together, just because you are staying separately. I know of couples who live in the same flat and live in separate bedrooms because both are thinking individuals, both have different tastes. One wants to watch TV the other wants to do something else."
She has not had occasion to greet him yet. Raakhee says, " I was asleep since I was unwell. Have you spoken to him? What did he say? I will go over to congratulate him this evening if my health permits. Since my house does not have a lift, it sometimes becomes difficult to climb up and down two storeys. I am suffering from a rare foot disease which causes my feet to become dark and swollen if I stand for too long or travel. I have taken MRI scans, visited specialists, tried everything including nuclear medicine, but all one can do is curb the swelling. There is no remedy. If that were not enough I have restless leg syndrome. But all this does not matter today. I am so happy."