Despite her urban-sexy image Malaika has in some way managed to conform to convention by marrying the love of her life and being loyal to him for over a decade and had managed the home, husband and family with the finesse of a domestic Goddess. Today its Malaika’s turn to be in the hot seat with ambitions of getting some honest answers we did heart talk with sexy Malaika Arora Khan.

Finally she’s doing a full-fledged role in the Sunjay Dutt starrer ‘EMI’, what’s her take on that “I wouldn’t really call it a full-fledged role,” she says. “Its not like I’m in the film from start to finish.” Her response seems a sharp contrast to those of actresses who refuse to call small parts in movies just that. Malaika continues, “I’m playing one of the characters amongst many. The film has one angle, which has Arjun Rampal, and I play Arjun’s love interest. And basically I’m just taking that story forward. It’s nonetheless a crucial character.”

Sure, it’s dabbling with the different, but doesn’t she feel like it’s also rather late in the day to be acting. Doesn’t she feel like she should’ve done this a long time ago? “I don’t see doing a role in a film as late in the day. I mean,” she pauses and says, “This isn’t something that was planned.

Malaika seems pretty set on her ideas about not joining films, ‘EMI’ notwithstanding, even though by marrying Arbaaz she automatically had access to a family run production house, Salman and Sohail’s entertainment Co. “Yes, that choice and the option was always there,” she confesses, “but I never availed of that option. I never felt that need or the desperation to avail of that option. For me sanity in my relationship is far more important than anything else in the world.”

Malaika’s someone you can’t instantly place in a bracket, having done everything from ramp to television to item numbers in movies. But she is unarguably the original sex symbol. She happened way before the Bipashas, the Laras and the Mallikas shot to fame from obscurity. What’s her reaction when she watches these girls of today wear provocative outfits and strut their stuff? We ask her.

“Been there done that, honey,” Malaika says out loud with a guffaw. To me its like you can never outdo a Malaika. She gasps at that, “Oh I love that line. No but seriously I’ve never looked at someone as potential competition or threat. I think I’m too confident about myself to ever get edgy about what’s happening around me. But I remember the MTV days where I created a niche for myself as a sex-symbol.”

You are also probably one of the few women who never took offence to tags like ‘sex symbol’ and ‘item girl’. “Why should I?” she questions even today, “I’ve always maintained that I’d rather be a sex symbol than a plain Jane. I view these tags as a compliment. I don’t shudder from it or think of it as derogatory.”

Outsiders not withstanding, how does her own husband Arbaaz handle all the male attention she garners doesn’t it affect his male ego? “I think it takes a very big man, a very secure and a very together man to be able to handle that. Not everybody can handle the male attention his wife garners. And I’m not saying that just because I’m married to Arbaaz. He comes from a different stock. I always tell him that there are men and then there’s you,” she says positively beaming.

Arbaaz amongst the three Khan brothers seems the calmest as opposed to say a Salman who’s known to be short-fused. “I guess yeah,” Malaika adds, “I mean Amu and I are so different, likewise, all three of them Salman, Sohail and Arbaaz are very different. But the one thing that runs common amongst the three is their insane sense of humour. So they’re all very different personalities and that’s what makes them vibrant and eclectic as a family.”

There may not be the clichéd family feuds or squabbles in the Khan khandaan but one hears that not many family members are gung-ho about the newest entrant, Katrina. Malaika might tolerate Katrina since she’s Salman’s beau, but according to the rumours she isn’t particularly fond of Kaif. “You yourself mentioned rumour na?” Malaika quizzes, “then it is perhaps a rumour.”