From DnaIndia - Dhoni is gem of a person
“I know Dhoni since last year. He, along with the Indian team, came for my birthday party and we got along very well. Dhoni and Suresh Raina stayed on till five in the morning. We have been in touch since then and I can safely call him my best friend. For a long time even though we were meeting, people didn’t write about us. But after 26/11, security was stepped up…Once Dhoni had come out to have coffee with me. I think the security leaked the story that we were together. Since then, there has been no stopping the stories about us,” she says, with a laugh. “Dhoni is a gem of a person. No airs, no attitude, very humble and down to earth.”
From Behindwoods - Dhoni and I are friends
Can you say something about your relationship with Dhoni?
Dhoni and I are friends. I am an actress and he is the Indian cricket team’s captain. Dhoni is a national figure and I am a popular figure. So linking both of us is news that sells. He has been linked with many people but the names have not been repeated, but in my case it has been repeated and this is a selling point for the media. It’s just to create an attention. Some people in the audience will believe it and some won’t. We tell the truth but if they don’t believe it, what can be done? We have nothing in our hearts.
You are from a non-filmi background. How does your family react to all this gossip?
My family is completely non-filmi and conservative. Initially they were taking rumors too seriously. It was my duty to convince them that this was part of my profession. Soon, they got used to it. Only my family knows what I am doing and where I am, they don’t believe in outside news. But it is only natural for any parent to become anxious about these things. They do feel insecure sometimes but realize that I am not the only one who is targeted and there are also other actresses who are at the receiving end. Bollywood is all about rumors and it happens only when you are famous. So every industry has gossips and rumors but it depends on one’s mentality in taking it. My parents know what I am and they trust in me. Without their knowledge I will not do anything.
From OneIndia - Lakshmi Rai denies affair with Dhoni
Belgaum beauty Lakshmi Rai is denying reports on her relationship with cricket star Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Rumours round in media that Lakshmi Rai has an 'intimate' relationship with Dhoni and both spent some time at a beach side star hotel a weeks ago. Later, Dhoni attended the birthday party of Lakshmi Rai and spent the whole evening with her.
In turn, Rai was regularly visiting all the matches played by Chennai Super Kings at the MAC Stadium and was seen rooting cheerfully for her 'favourite" cricketer. After seeing all these developments, media came to a conclusion and published reports.
Rai said the way the media had been targeting her is quite unfair. "First, they published 'exclusives' on me and linked with a co-star and now with famous cricketer Dhoni. I don't know from where they manage to get such kind of gossips. Maintaining a good friendship with cricket stars like Dhoni is not a sin. It is a pride to a fan like me."