Seven years after her last Hindi film and post-marriage and motherhood, Esha Deol Takhtani is set to return to acting with Cakewalk, a short film directed by Ram Kamal Mukherjee and Abhra Chakraborty, in which she plays a chef. Set in Calcutta, Cakewalk was shot at Novotel Kolkata Hotel & Residences and is eyeing an October release. In Calcutta last week to promote the film with her directors and co-star Tarun Malhotra, Esha chatted with t2.      

Was shooting a short film different from a feature film?

Cakewalk has been shot like a film, in terms of scale and look. The only difference was that the span of my shooting was shorter. That was one of the reasons I took it up immediately after giving birth because Radhya (her nine-month-old daughter) is really young and she needs me around. But as artistes, we can’t keep away from the camera for too long. I have been dancing… I am travelling with the Ramayana ballet… and then I took up Cakewalk. 

What was it like playing a chef?

It was new for me, but one of my closest childhood friends Chinu (Shilarna Vaze) is a very famous chef in Bombay. I wanted the chef’s beret and not the straight one, because I’ve always liked that. She helped me with that as well as with other things.

Do you cook?

I do! I started cooking when I was dating my husband (Bharat Takhtani). Before that, I didn’t even know how to boil a potato! My oven would be packed with storage stuff. 

I like learning the recipes of dishes I like eating. I think I make nice Goan prawn curry… Bharat likes my food and he’s never had a stomach upset, so I think I’m quite a good cook! (Laughs)

Is Cakewalk the first step towards getting back to acting full-time?

I’m open to doing a full feature. But it has to be worth my time. The criterion to pick a project is different now from what it was earlier. I started working at the age of 18 and we were all quite immature. Cinema, today, has changed from what it was in the early 2000s when I started out. The subjects that the audience is opening up to now has much more variety than what it was during our time… at that time, it was just hero, heroine, villain…. That’s still there and it will always be the essence of Hindi cinema, but there are films like Tumhari Sulu as well. 

Vidya (Balan) and Kangana (Ranaut) have done a lot to spearhead this change. Today’s actresses are very disciplined and they know how to go about their careers. I think we were all quite innocent. You ask anyone else from my generation — be it Abhishek (Bachchan) or anyone else — we didn’t know anything… now they know it all! 

What did you miss about acting?

I don’t think I really had time to think about acting because the rest of my life was very exciting. I was romancing! (Laughs) When I was acting full-time, I would just shoot all the time. I had no time to go out on dates. Bharat came into my life when I was going through that pressure of ‘shaadi karlo’ (rolls her eyes). But I had told my parents that I needed to fall in love to marry the guy. Dating Bharat and then being married to him is a part of my life that really doesn’t make me miss acting. 

When I got married, just being the bahu occupied all my time. Bharat has a huge family… just like a Sooraj Barjatya movie! (Laughs) When we go out on Diwali vacations, we are about 22-23 people. I was the first bahu, now more bahus are coming in! 

Do you rewatch your films?

Oh, I haven’t done so in a long, long time. And now with the baby, I don’t get any time. Despite being such a huge soccer fan, I missed out on the whole football World Cup this time! Sometimes when a few songs of mine play on TV, I do watch them. But I associate them more with memories on set, like what happened when we shot this song or that film. I am very critical of my work and that’s why I don’t watch much! 

What’s the best advice your parents, Dharmendra and Hema Malini, have given you?

Regarding films, they’ve always said being an actor is different from being a star. They’ve told me, ‘You want to act like a star, then act like a star. But if you want to be a good human being and act well, then that’s a better approach’. Success and failure happen every Friday and you can’t take either seriously. 

I think I am a well brought up girl, quite humble. My mother’s influenced me a lot into becoming the person I am. A lot of our conversations as a family revolve around movies. My dad likes to talk about his movies… ‘Iss picture mein woh hua tha, usme yeh hua tha,’ and I love listening to him. I am more like a friend to my parents.   

Has motherhood changed the way you look at things?

Yes, it has. A new chapter in my life has just started and I am enjoying every bit of it. I am a hands-on mother. Though I am in Calcutta today, my phone has a camera where I can keep an eye on her all the time. I am that kind of person, whether it’s with my husband or my child. I enjoy being a housewife… I like the whole ‘khana khaya ki nahin? Kya khaya aaj?’ routine (laughs). Motherhood has given me a new sense of confidence. 

What do you like doing together?

We love spending time together in the mornings, all three of us. She’s very attached to her father. We just got her the jolly jumper, so right now all her energy is focused on just jumping around! (Laughs)      

Is Bharat a hands-on dad?

Ya, ya… diaper changing to everything. I recently flew alone with Radhya to California and it was a really long flight and she was stuck to me all the time. On our way back, Bharat was there and he was like, ‘Give her to me. I will take care of her throughout the flight’. I was like, ‘Ya, ya by all means!’ Sometimes, he’s a little too playful with her and I have to control him! 

You are quite a pro on social media. So why does your Twitter bio say, ‘Twitter, i try n Im getting better ;)’ 

(Laughs) Oh, that’s been there ever since I started my account in 2011! I am much better at social media now. For me, social media is like a cousin you don’t like much but have to be nice to! (Laughs) I do enjoy Instagram and I like the fact that social media still keeps me connected to my fans. Of course, there’s a nasty side to it that you just have to ignore. I’m not going to sit and cry over bad comments! 

You’ve just returned from a holiday in the US. What kind of a traveller are you?

My holidays abroad are just about enjoying good food, walking around…. We mostly choose beach places because both Bharat and I like tropical weather. We like chilling on the beach, going out in the night, watching movies…. Neither of us likes going to museums… we can’t handle all that! We go to an amusement park instead. 

This time was different from my previous trips because I was travelling with my baby. My mother and sister (Ahana) were also with us. We took an apartment and did the cooking and the washing together. For me, it was fun to just walk around the streets  freely in my short pants! (Laughs) 

Quick 4 

Bingeing on: I watched The Crown and liked it. But I don’t think I will ever outgrow F.R.I.E.N.D.S. I have the entire DVD collection and I binge from time to time. I last did it when I was pregnant and stretched it to two months. I think I will do it again and make Radhya watch it with me. 

Last book read: My mother’s biography (Beyond the Dream Girl, written by Ram Kamal Mukherjee). 

A film or song of yours you want remade: Dhoom machale, but remade with me only, okay?! (Laughs) That’s my personal national anthem, I am lucky to have got a song like that. For film, it would be Na Tum Jaano Na Hum because it was a beautiful love story. I would want Alia Bhatt to play my part. 

Favourite workout: I recently tried callisthenics to lost the post-delivery weight. It was a lot of fun to rough it out in a park or a beach. Otherwise, I do my weight training and toning. I do lighter weights and use a rope or a band. I would live in the gym at one point of time, but now I enjoy lighter workouts.

Priyanka Roy 
Pictures: B. Halder