Ayesha Takia
My husband Farhan Azmi is a restaurateur and owns three restaurants in Mumbai. After we got married, we started planning a cafe, Chai Cofi, and got busy in executing it. It is not easy to open a restaurant. I always wanted to get into the business of restaurants and was fortunate enough that Farhan's knowledge taught me a lot of things.Collection: Knowledge
My life has been about choosing different things from most people think that I should have chosen. It always has been about my hapiness and peace of mind therfore I have never stratagised or planned my career.Collection: Peace
I am a hands-on mother and don't rely on maids.
Ever since school, I got a lot of attention as I was modelling and everyone knew who I was. As a child, you enjoy it. But one has to explore and doing things by oneself to learn that life is very large.
Till I did 'Dor,' people only offered me roles of that bubbly, vivacious girl.
If I was written off and was not offered any work, I wouldn't care because I have lots of other things to do.
I am bubbly in real life and people also say I talk too much.
I wouldn't say portraying a character in a film like 'Wanted' was easy. But it was fairly easier than playing a role where one is expected to emote more depth on screen.
It does get difficult to shift from a 'Wanted' to a 'Mod.'
I simply love to believe in love stories. They are so cute and mushy.
The genre of romance is perhaps the closest to my heart and I like the whole idea of feel good, look good roles and films that have a positive vibe.
When I came into this industry I set down some guidelines for myself. And I plan to stick to them.
Socha Na Tha' was my first film and will remain one of my favourites.
A film is a film, and shouldn't be defined by language.
Item numbers are not for me.
I'm fortunate to belong to a multi-cultural family... My mom's an Anglo Indian, dad's a Gujarati.
Being away from my film bubble gave me a chance to see life differently.
When I got married, a lot of people told me I was insane.
I never thought I would be married at 23, but that's the fun thing about life - you don't know what is waiting for you at the next corner.
I don't regret a single moment of staying away from the camera.
Each actor is different and not everyone is looking for the same thing. For instance, I have never worried that people have to think of me in a certain way or have to accept me when I return to screen after a sabbatical.
You see so many actors branching out into so many different things than just acting. It's so fantastic.
When you are in a family where there are two or three people in the limelight - like politics and acting - two worlds colliding like that, there will be times when obviously in the press or public eye, those opinions can collide and not match.
I've been blessed with the most awesome family life and I have a great support system.
I am such a home body and I like to be home.
I don't want people to just see me as that cute girl in 'Dil Maange More' or 'Wanted.'
Being cute and bubbly is also fun, but I needed to be taken seriously as an actor and I think 'Dor' did that.
A film set is very casual. If there is a senior actor, by the end of it, you end up joking with him.
Movies take lot of your time from making to promotions.
If a friend like Nagesh wants to make something like 'Dor,' I would love to be a part of it.
Being vegan is something that has changed my life tremendously.
I am a terrible singer. At best I am a bathroom singer.
I have been lucky to strike a balance between the off-beat and commercial films.
Wanted' is a full-on masala entertainer. But it is not a mindless film.
I want to do films that will be remembered, not run-of-the-mill stuff where I stand behind looking pretty as a picture.
I think the major changes in my body, face and skin have happened after I turned vegan, it has changed my entire life.
People who worry about stupid things, just end up looking miserable after a while - it shows.
Since I started working at 15 and never went to college, I didn't know what it was like to be in the real world. I was in my bubble - until I got married, my life was either in a car, on the set, or on location.
I don't even know what size-zero is.
I think it teaches you humility and love being a parent.
A film like 'Dor' doesn't happen everyday.
After 'Dor,' viewers showed the confidence that I could play serious roles too and so I was offered roles in films like 'Eight By Ten' and 'Wanted' and many other big movies.
It was great working with Salman. He doesn't come across as the 'bad boy of Bollywood.' He is a very generous actor. There are actors, who don't let you have your space on screen and try to steal it. But Salman is not like that.
I like to live my life in a particular way and do things that make me happy.
When people see me face-to-face they know immediately that I've not gone under the knife and they are the ones who matter.
The challenge is always in portraying characters who've led a very different life from your's as you get to work on the character.
My first music video was Falguni Pathak's 'Meri Chunar' when I was 15. Then came 'Shake It Daddy,' which brought me a lot of recognition.
I've always done things according to my principles and morals and some things just don't fit in.
I was raised in a normal Gujarati style with all the restrictions and reservations.
As love rules my world, I believe it's really really important.