Pillow Talk

Kareena Kapoor, Actress
"I can’t sleep because I am overworked. I’ve been in the industry for four years now and I haven’t had a break.... We have erratic work schedules, we get little rest but are expected to look our best all the time. Like, for Chameli I was shooting nights for 15 days. My entire rhythm changed with that. It’s not possible. The body undergoes changes, there are hormonal changes. When I can’t sleep I sit and watch sitcoms. Something funny to make me laugh and relax."

H.D. Deve Gowda, Politician
India’s sleepiest PM made a habit of dozing off at public functions. Spin-doctors tried to convince everyone that he was being thoughtful. His family has attributed his sleep problem to his acute diabetes.

Uma Bharati, MP/CM
All her acolytes wonder how she is able to do with so little sleep. Her typical day begins at 6 am and ends at one in the morning. "I practice nidrasan and hence I can do with just three or four hours of sleep."

Daler Mehndi, Pop Singer
He has been afflicted by temporary insomnia brought on by the cases of human trafficking against him. Recently, when journalist Nalini Singh interviewed him in jail, he said he could get very little sleep.

Dilip Kumar, Actor
"I suffered from insomnia some years ago. Now, I don’t suffer from it . I’d say if you suffer from insomnia you’ve to learn to not engage your mind in unnecessary issues, don’t develop an attitude of anxiety."

Raj Kamal Jha, Journalist/Writer
He has not popped pills or tried in anyway to fight the sleeplessness that has gripped him since childhood. By day, Jha is executive editor of The Indian Express and by long and wakeful night he indulges his passion: writing fiction.

Mrinal Sen, Filmmaker
"Keeping awake till 1 or 2 am seemed normal earlier. So, I took to the drug Attivan and would worry if I didn’t have it on me. I spoke to a doc who suggested another drug of the same group. Now I get seven hours of sleep."

Salman Khursheed, Politician
He works non-stop without sleep. "It’s quite amazing how he can go on sans sleep," says a close friend. But it catches up with him when he’s travelling. He inevitably falls asleep next to his driver.

O.P. Chautala, Haryana CM
Another politician in the Nehru-NTR mould. His day begins early—four in the morning—and ends late, he gets very little sleep. But he sleeps well and without the help of any pills.

Mayawati, Ex-UP CM
She tosses and turns in bed for hours before she can finally fall asleep. Being an extremely busy leader, it’s obvious she ends her day quite late. She spends more time trying to get sleep than sleeping.