/> In her time, which was a good part of the late 1950s and 60s,Vyjayanthimala carved a very special and scintillating niche for herself as a danseuse-actress par excellence with a track record of super-successes that she happily relinquished for marriage and motherhood in the early 70s.

Happily domesticatedVyjayanthimala continues to pursue her dancing as her main passion and has also taken time off to pen her memoirs...

Rishi Kapoor recenty came out refuting some of the claims in your biography?
I stand by everything I've said in my memoirs I had so many wonderful memories culled over the past 70 years that I wanted to put down in writing. My friends have been urging me to do so for years. I just didn't get the time to do it all in one go.

Finally, I thought any further delay would just be self-defeating. So I started writing my memoirs three years ago. It took me that long to put my thoughts down. No one knew about it. But I'd sneak some time out periodically and jot down my memories and thoughts.

Did you just go by memory?
Oh,I do have records of my experiences. But it's largely through my memories. I called it Bonding because these memoirs link me to the past. Life is a sum-total of all your past experiences. You can't cut away from your memories.

In my memoirs I've gone through all the phases in my life, right from my childhood in a conservative Brahmin family, then my passion for dancing, my stint an an actress and politician.And of course as a family person.

I do hope it makes interesting reading. One reason why I waited so long is because my experiences just kept growing. I wanted my memoirs to come with a bang.

Do you think your book has done justice to your brimming life-experiences?
I've put it all down as far as possible. If I put everything down in the book it would've required about a 1000 pages. I had to cut it down to 400 pages. I've managed to write a very fair and honest account of my life.

I haven't omitted anything vital. I wanted to dispel misconceptions about certain incidents in my life. I haven't written it in a high-flown language. All the thoughts come from my heart.

75 years, and so many experiences.
Actually I am just 74. There're some mistakes in the memoirs. I hope to correct them in the next edition.

Any regrets?
None at all. I leave my regrets behind. I enjoy the joy of sharing my life with my fans and friends through the book. I've even spoken about the scandals and controversies in my life. I've said how some of these stories were manufactured by the PR machinery for films.

Do you notice a huge change in the way the press operates in Mumbai?
The press has become very bold and a lot more aggressive and so one-sided. When I had refused the Filmfare award for best supporting actress in Bimal Roy's Devdas, the press had gone ballistic. But now the controversies are of a different nature.

Don't you think more iconic figures from our show world need to come forward with accounts of their lives?
Other colleagues of mine have had books on their lives written by others. But mine is an autobiography. Because I felt I can write about my life better than anybody else. We had a spectacularly successful release in Delhi. On 7 Septmeber we're releasing Bonding in Chennai.

I plan to have a release in Mumbai shortly where I'll invite all my friends and colleagues. And my friends in Bangalore want one too. But my dance festivals are starting and dance will always be my first love. As long as people want me to dance, I will.