The food here is so good. How can one stop eating?!” — that’s the first thing Sonali Bendre said as we were about to sit down for a tete-a-tete with the Bolly actress. In town for the ‘Women of Today’ awards at Imperial, the jewellery outlet at 10/4A Elgin Road (near Forum), on Women’s Day, Sonali spoke about her love for fish, monochrome and more. 
If given a chance that you could be anyone, who would you want to be?

I would be someone behind the camera… could be in direction or writing. I always liked the life behind the camera.

What will we find in your bag?

A lip balm, kajal, phone, iPad, definitely a book, dry fruits and AirPods.

A fashion hack you have learnt over the years...

Always be comfortable. 

Your make-up must-have...

A kajal and a lip stain. These two I can’t do without.

Your go-to style...

More casual than formal.

Your wardrobe must-haves...

Monochrome and greys. I have more than 50… more like 100 shades of grey!

What would your day look be like?

Track pants and hoodies.

A fitness regimen you follow...

I feel I should get better at my fitness regimen but I think it’s about doing it more regularly rather than expecting miracles. There are no shortcuts.

Your summer faves when it comes to fashion...

Do as little as possible. Sunscreen is a must and lots of linens and whites. I love natural fabrics. 

Your me time...

Reading with my dog beside me.

Your favourite books...

The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak, The Stories of Eva Luna by Isabel Allende, The Book of Questions by Pablo Neruda.

Favourite author...

Elif Shafak.

You have always had beautiful hair and skin. What’s the secret?

Eating fish! Bengalis have the best skin and hair, there’s something more about the fish from here. I think I will start ordering fish from Bengal! (Laughs)

Your favourite place to shop in the world...

I am an online shopper. Honestly, I am more a New York person. It’s a little casual but there’s a certain put- togetherness to it. 

A recent movie that you watched and loved...

Dil Dhadakne Do.

A designer whose clothes you love wearing...

Abu (Jani)-Sandeep (Khosla) and Anavila (Misra) — they are my forever go-to. I like Amit Aggarwal, I love Manish (Malhotra).... 

What does ‘Women’s Day’ mean to you?

I don’t think I need to celebrate it on one day. I am talking to a woman, so I can say this frankly… you know when 500 messages come in, it’s nice in a certain way but at the same time I feel why are we doing this? If we are actually pinpointing a day and celebrating it, that means you aren’t paying attention on the other days. So that bit sometimes bothers me. But, it does start a conversation and hopefully it trickles down to where men and boys understand that they need to celebrate the day, need to give the required attention. 

A contemporary Indian woman to you is...

There are certain images attached to an Indian woman — a mother, daughter, homemaker… there are certain parts of it that I really like and I love having that identity also but I feel women shouldn’t be limited to that. Even though I feel that it should be very much a part of a woman’s identity but there’s so much more to her. As a contemporary Indian woman who has been handling so many things, I think she can be a very strong woman, a very strong working woman. We need more and more working women in our country. When I say this, what I mean is that economic independence is very important. That’s the reality of life.

One woman who has been your inspiration...

For any girl, it’s her mother. For me too, it’s my mother. My mother was a housewife and she always used to tell me that even if you get the richest man in the world, I will let you get married to him but only when you have made a career of your own. She always wanted her three daughters to be independent before they got married. Education is very important. 

When you started your career, was there any actress you looked up to?

Acting wasn’t really a career choice for me, but yes I have always been a big fan of Madhuri Dixit. She is so stunning… I love her smile. In my generation, Madhuri Dixit and Sridevi were the ones you looked up to.

A woman whose style you absolutely admire...

I always thought Dimple Aunty (Dimple Kapadia) is really stylish. I love her easy sense of style which isn’t really easy to 
pull off. 

The fittest woman in Bollywood...

You know most of them are really fit now. Be it Katrina (Kaif), Jacqueline (Fernandez), Shilpa (Shetty) and even Karisma (Kapoor) for that matter, are really fit. All my contemporaries are really, really fit. Today all the girls who are coming in, I think there’s no option but to be fit.

Your fave female film director...

I don’t have one that I can just name right now. But in the commercial zone, I think Zoya (Akhtar) and Farah (Khan) have really done a great job. Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari is doing some great work too. 

Text: Nandini Ganguly