Did you know that scriptwriter Gulzar is a keen tennis player, or that Hema Malini misses a man's presence in her life, or that Lata Mangeshkar loves a good joke?

Here's a low down on the lesser-known facets of some of Bollywood's most famous personalities.

Amitabh Bachchan: Every one knows him to be this flawlessly well-behaved public persona. Only his close friends know what a 'yaaron ka yaar' he is. Trust me, I know. Some time back a Kannada filmmaker wanted Mr. Bachchan to make a guest appearance as himself in a film. After having failed to get access, the anxious filmmaker asked me. I spoke to Amitabh. He not only readily agreed to do it for my sake, he also refused to charge a single penny for his precious time and attention.

On the other hand, nothing can make Amitabh do what he doesn't want to. Some time ago this Bengali filmmaker from the US had nearly finalised him for his second directorial venture. Then something happened. The desperate director even offered to change the script, producer, whatever to have his main lead on board. Amitabh didn't budge. "What can be said about the convictions of a man who's willing to change everything in his creative vision for the sake of one actor? Thanks, but no thanks." That's what legends are all about. They know.

Shah Rukh Khan: One of the best minds in the film industry and a very loyal friend. Ask his buddies like Karan Johar and Farah Khan. They would give their left arm for him, and probably throw in the right one too. Shah Rukh doesn't demand, he commands that kind of loyalty. Though we share the same birthday, I can't claim to have him as a close buddy. But whenever we talk he warns me to make a clear demarcation line between my professional and personal interests in Bollywood.

"Never make the mistake of believing any one of your star-friends are going to stand by you if you're in a crisis. Ultimately all you have is your family and close friends," he warns me.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali: My closest friend in Mumbai and also the most uproariously funny person I've ever met. Sanjay has taught me how to laugh out loud from somewhere deep down inside my throat. His sense of the comic is so sharp and visually alive he can paint prolonged pictures featuring immense comic details. A terrific raconteur with an unbeatable sense of satire, Sanjay, who according to me is the best filmmaker in the country, has yet to arrive at his forte in films. It's farce. One day he'll make a funny film. Trust me people will have more tears rolling down their eyes than "Khamoshi" and "Black" put together.

Karan Johar: Everyone knows Karan is the most clued-in director in the industry. But how does he manage to know everything that goes on in the industry? If Karan was a journalist, he'd put every scribe in the shade. He can hold forth for hours on the exact activities of everyone, and can even inform you about how to go about writing a review or framing a story. If he wasn't a filmmaker, Karan would have been a journalist for sure.

Lata Mangeshkar: She sings like an angel, right? You also know her second favourite passion in life is photography. But did you know Lata ji loves a good joke? During my first meeting with her many years ago she had me in splits by describing a colleague as an 'I specialist'. That reminds me of her most historic rendezvous with humour. Long ago when composer Shankar (of Jaikishan fame) was busy promoting the atonal Sharda as 'the next best thing', Lata ji had succinctly quipped, "We had heard love is blind. We had never heard love was deaf as well." Ear ear!

Gulzar: You know him as a poet, author and filmmaker. But did you know Gulzar the tennis player? For as long as one can remember the poet has been getting up from sleep at 4.30 a.m., getting into his tennis togs and leaving home for an invigorating two-hour game of tennis. Gulzar saab's tennis habit remains unbroken, unless he's travelling out of Mumbai. "I think the secret of my good health is tennis," confesses this avid sports fan who also loves cricket, though only as a spectator.

Hema Malini: She's stunningly beautiful and incredibly outspoken. But she's also very lonely. Although she doesn't show it, this woman of substance truly misses a man's presence in her life. "Though I love Dharam ji very much it's my misfortune that he hasn't been with me to watch our daughters grow up, and to give me company. So, yes, I do miss a man by my side," Hema once told me in an unguarded moment. "But then I've so much to keep me occupied. There's hardly ever any time to feel lonely," she cheered up the very next moment.

But it's a sobering thought: the dream girl of millions getting nightmares about aging all alone.