Three years ago, they met on the sets of Simi Garewal's Rukhsat. Marc Zuber was a mature actor from London. For Anooradha Patel he was the epitome of the copybook hero-the tall, dark and attractive stranger. There were many things that sparked off the chemistry between the two. He played her older lover in the film and they did some very controversial, steamy bedroom scenes together. Since Rukhsat was being filmed in America, they were also thrown together for almost three months. What followed was a tempestuous affair that continued even after the couple returned to Bombay. But with utmost discretion. They took care never to make any public appearances together. And when cornered, they invariably denied the affair. The Westernized Marc Zuber claimed to have a different set of values from the Indians. In a previous interview he had dismissed off all his involvements (Deepti, Shabana, etc.) as just good friends. Anooradha was Included in this list. He had said, "I don't believe in affairs. I only have prolonged friendships." He affirmed he was promiscuous and added, that he was as good as married to a German girl from London. Then stories about Marc's heavy boozing and brawls at parties began to filter in. Along with rumours about the shabby treatment he meted out to Anooradha. She was so infatuated with him that she bore all this humiliation silently. After a tumultuous relationship that lasted two years, we suddenly heard that the couple had split. And Anooradha was now involved with actor Kanwaljeet. We decided to break through Anooradha Patel's two-year reticence. Realizing that she could not stall the questions any longer, she gave us her first and forthright interview about the men in her life. "This is the first time that I am going to speak about my 'affair' as you call it. I want to clear up all the myths that surround my relationship with Marc." Q. In spite of the fact that the whole world knew about your affair with Marc why did you both insist on denying It In print? A. If I have denied my affair with Marc in my earlier interviews, it was because of certain compulsions. I dislike the casual way in which an involvement is dismissed off as 'an affair'. I do not have affairs. I'd prefer to say that I am emotionally involved with a man. I was very deeply involved with Marc. But it's all over now. Though I still care for him a helluva lot, I am gradually getting over the heartbreak. Q. Your first hero, Master Mayur clalms that you ditched him for Marc. A. That's a load of crap. As I've decided to be honest with you about the men in my life, why should I deny anything? Mayur was just seeking cheap publicity for himself and the film by linking his name with mine. He was also very pissed off when I refused to do another film with him after the failure of Love in Goa. Mayur may have had a crush on me. But I have never reciprocated his feelings. My taste in men is very different from what Mayur may think. Right from my teens I have always had much older friends. I've never cared for guys of my own age and have always been attracted to older men. I was immediately drawn to Marc's maturity and worldliness. He was everything I always desired in a man. And by the end of Rukhsat, I was head over heels in love with him... Q. How can you justify the shabby treatment Marc meted out to you In Bombay? He constantly dismissed you off as a casual friend. A. Marc's set of values have always differed from mine. While I was the traditional girl with conservative views on marriage, etc., Marc was the exact opposite. He was the Bohemian who believed marriage was an outdated institution. Right from the beginning of our relationship Marc always stated that he could never make any commitment towards me. And though we were involved he would always term the relationship as being 'just good friends'. This indifference hurt me a lot. I was so crazy about him that I lived with the hope that someday he would begin to care for me. As a child, my only ambition in life was to get married and live happily ever after. I believed that Marc would marry and settle down one day. I prayed for that day, but it never came. I don't want people to blame Marc for treating me shabbily. I am definitely indebted to him for one thing-his honesty. He never played games with me. Today, have realized that it was I who clung to the relationship, knowing fully well that there was no future to it. Marc even encouraged me to go out with guys my own age, so that I wouldn't get too emotionally attached to him. I admit I did go through phases of neglect and trauma in the relationship. Like when you wait for the telephone to ring etc. But I brought it upon myself. I knew that Marc had a woman in London called Inge, who was as good as his wife. He visited her at least thrice a year. Later I learnt that she had been around for more than 20 years. I had to accept this mutely because Marc had never hidden her existence from me. >>>> 2/..