By Subhash K. Jha, IANS

After showcasing her acting prowess in films like "Joggers' Park" and "Morning Raga", actress Perizaad Zorabian married Boman Irani Dec 7.

"No, not the actor but the real-estate developer... You know when my Boman met the actor Boman's wife, Zenobia, he told her maybe they should whip up something together.

"But Zenobia knew that once the name of my Boman was out, the first rumour would be that I was having an affair with Boman Irani, the actor. The mistaken identity continues. The actor is still asked what he's doing with Perizaad," Perizaad told IANS.

Perizaad can't stop singing praises of her husband.

"He's extremely supportive, a very driven person. I've known him for a year now. It was more a mutual attraction than love at first sight.

"We met at an event where I was a judge. I loved the way he conducted himself. He was very real and sensible. Yeah, he's a Parsi, just like me. Now, that's something I never expected.

"I had warned my mom and dad that I'd marry anyone whom I fell in love with. How was I to know that I'd fall in love with someone from my own community? I hardly ever met a Parsi, except Boman Irani the actor, in the industry. They're all Punjabis, Sindhis, etc."

Perizaad intends to continue working after marriage.

"I'd really love to. I'm reassured by my friends in the industry, including Subhash Ghaiji, that there's a place for me in the industry after marriage. That's the advantage of not being straitjacketed into an image."

Perizaad has just finished shooting for N. Chandra's "Breaking News".

"Can you believe it? I was shooting until 12 days before 'D' day? But I had a blast shooting even then, and so what if I had a wedding around the corner."

Perizaad sighs, "I know marriage will change a lot of things in my life. Even being in a relationship changed my priorities. You know we actors are very self-centred.

"Once I fell in love with Boman, I found myself getting considerate about him. I'm sure marriage is going to being on a sense of responsibility. I've a zero sense of responsibility.

"Ask my mother. She's scared about how will I cope. For the four years that I lived in America, I took care of everything in my apartment. I even cooked though my friends said all my cooking tasted the same, ha ha. But in Mumbai I left everything to mom. I'm told the sense of responsibility will just follow after marriage."

She's looking at marriage as a beginning of a long-enduring partnership.

"I look at my parents' marriage and see how much my mom supports dad even in his work. I'd like to be the backbone in my marriage. I don't want to be a spoilt little brat with 10 servants. I want to remain grounded, to be domesticated while continuing with my career. I also hope to support my husband in his work."

Perizaad has four releases coming up.

"There's Zohaib Khan's suspense thriller 'Highway 203' with K.K. Menon, a hilarious one-night comedy about a struggling actress who kidnaps a director called "Kabhi Up Kabhi Down" with Sanjay Suri (directed by Raman Bharadwaj based on a Neil Simon play), Meghna Gulzar's 'Baat Pakki' where I'm part of a huge ensemble cast and N. Chandra's 'Breaking News', which captures the life and rhythm of Mumbai where I play a TV channel's creative head."

The future?

"I am scared about my career. I can't pretend that marriage won't make a difference. I had to drop out of Sanjay Gupta's 'Alibaug' and Nikhil Advani's 'Salaam-E-Ishq' because they were clashing with my marriage.

"Nikhil's film got pushed forward. Otherwise, I'd have loved to do it. Nikhil was so sweet about it. But I didn't want to marry when I had no other option. I wanted to take the plunge when the going was good.

"I'm told I've my own niche. But I'd be lying if I said I don't feel insecure about my future. But I'm an optimist. I hope I can balance marriage and career."

She ends with a giggle. "I can't believe Boman has married an actress. He's so shy of publicity."