Bollywood stars go animal crazy

Mumbai, Sep 14 (IANS) Bollywood has of late become extremely pet friendly. From Urmila Matondkar to Sushmita Sen to Rani Mukerji - they all dote on their pets.

'They're far more reliable than human companions,' joked Sushmita, who has half a dozen dogs of various exotic breeds in her home, all looked after like royalty.

Rani and Urmila dote on their dogs like their own children. In fact, dogs are supposedly the No.1 soul-providers in Bollywood.

As soon as Abhishek Bachchan was gifted an oversized canine by a friend last year, he found his chock-a-block schedule being governed entirely by his pet's moods. Even a sneeze makes the young actor paranoid.

While leaving for his honeymoon Abhishek's main worry was his dog - would it be looked after well in his absence?

It's not just the young breed of actors who are obsessed about their pets. Veteran actress Raakhee too looks after her canine Pari as though she were her second daughter. Full-fledged domestic aides are employed for Pari to be walked, fed, bathed and put to bed.

And for well-known poet Gulzar, Raakhee's estranged husband, his pet dog Pali has been his most constant companion for years.

Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali admits his life has changed ever since some friends gifted him a dog on his last birthday. Bhansali has named his dog Happiness and says that's what the canine has brought into his life.

Another pet-crazy actor is Randeep Hooda, who had a cat that died recently. He is now on the lookout for his next animal companion.