By now, it’s no secret that Amar Singh makes for some real good entertainment. Whatever he does, he does in style. Be it a weekday or a weekend, Mr Singh sure knows how to keep the media busy. And in a tizzy.

With his pearls of wisdom, political and otherwise, here’s a man who says things, straight from the heart. And more often than not, that heart of his seems to have been his cause of hurt.

How else do you explain the angst-ridden behaviour Mr Singh has displayed over the past few weeks? His tiff with Ram Gopal Yadav, brother of Mulayam Singh Yadav, his resignation from the Samajwadi Party posts and his subsequent statement that “physically invalid people like me are ready to be dumped” with a not-so-subtle reference to his mentor.

Dumped, did you say? But dumped, I thought, only happens in literary and real-life ‘boy-does-not-get-girl’ romances. And dumped happens in movies. And dumped happens to people like you and me in real life when the man says he’s got “issues” or the woman says she’s “not sure”.

But, ji, “dumped” doesn’t happen to folks like Amar Singh.

“Dumped” doesn’t happen to people who have the who’s who of Bollywood at their beck and call and themselves are on their speed dials. “Dumped” doesn’t happen to folks who are seen hobnobbing with the powers-that-be and the powers-that-will-be in the cold corridors of New Delhi.

But then, separation has never been easy – the world over. For friends. For lovers. For spouses. And for political mentors and their protégés.

For Monsieur Singh, the breaking away from Mulayam has not been easy. And it is showing. From a man who wore his heart on his sleeve, he has become a man who has worn his hurt on his sleeve in this winter of discontent. Like a cross between a lover spurned and a petulant child, he is now pointing fingers at his mentor’s coterie, conveniently seeking refuge in Short-Term-Memory-Loss and obliterating the fact that many a finger was raised at him during his kinship with Mulayam in happier times. Shifting sands, eh?

Last weekend, as a dejected Amar Singh poured his heart out, as only he can, one could sense a change. The histrionics were understated. Gone was the ferocious cry. Instead, it was replaced by plea and longing, much like a lost sheep wanting to be taken into the fold – any bosom will do for now. The angst was palpable, the hurt and betrayal peeping from the corners. And, above it all, the accompanying message remained: time to know my friends, seek new partners and make new resolutions (read: revive my political career).

For his friends Jaya (Bachchan) & Jaya (Prada), the sight of an almost-vanquished Singh is not happening. Which explains why the latter has lashed out at his detractors and asked them to back off. She also urged Mulayam to stop personal attacks on Singh, whom she sees as friend. And what is (political) friendship if you can’t quit together! Sanjay Dutt is a good friend, surely.

Crisis, it is often said, is a great unifier. Which is what explains his peace overture toward his once-upon-a-time sworn enemy, Mayawati. On hindsight, he may now attribute the enmity to being more a shared one (courtesy Mulayam) than an actual one. Since the separation, he has also been particularly kind to the lady at 10 Janpath. But then, there are no permanent friends and enemies in politics after all!

For some, moving on is not easy. The baggage of history, coupled with expectations, can be a killer combo. Ze Man knows zat — which is why he’s probably wondering if a known devil is better than an unknown one! Till the time he actually decides to pick the chosen one, no one quite knows what’s going on in his head. Or rather, in this case, his heart.

‘Cause, if you’re Amar Singh, then dil to definitely bachcha hai ji…