Minister who loves playing many roles

SALMAN CONNECTION

Kak made her debut in Bollywood in 2005 with a David Dhawan film, Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya, where she played Salman's mother. In the following years she did cameos in movies like God Tussi Great Ho, where she again played his mother. The bond in real life can be traced back to 1998 when Salman got involved in a blackbuck poaching case. Kak, then minister of tourism and culture in the Ashok Gehlot government, is said to have pulled the actor out of the pit. Kak's daughter, Amrita, made a mark in Bollywood by singing hit numbers Dhinka Chika, Character Dheela for Salman's movies.

In February 2009, Salman's Veer was being shot in the Amber Fort when a wall collapsed, injuring 15 onlookers. Kak, too, featured in the film and had relaxed norms to give approvals for the shooting. The high court took notice of the incident and commented, "Money and greed, coupled with power create blindness, madness and the person becomes totally insane and insensitive. When the government and public authorities indulge in such practice, a great havoc is created resulting in chaos all around. The episode and mishap happened in Amber Palace is a glaring example of the same."

RISING STAR?

A wildlife enthusiast, Kak says that her 'good work' in the area of environment conservation is visible. Wildlife conservationists might differ, but she enumerates projects such as the proposed panther reserve in her home constituency, Sumerpur, among others. Officials in her ministry say that they are kept on their toes with Kak's frequent visits to the state's reserves and parks. Kak, who is also a photographer, makes the most of her tours, capturing shots and never disappoints her Facebook followers who get a close-up of her visits within hours, sometimes within minutes.

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