‘Just Because You Are An Actress Doesn’t Mean…’

‘I
was
blessed
to
earn
a
lot
of
fame
and
money,
more
than
I
ever
expected,
and
the
time
has
come
to
share
what
I
have
earned
with
others.’

Ayesha
Jhulka
took
a


step
away
from
the
movies
to
do
all
the
things
she
never
had
the
time
to
when
she
was
working
in
back-to-back
projects
as
an
actor.

The
actor
tells



Rediff.com
Senior
Contributor

Roshmila
Bhattacharya
about
her
life
beyond
the
movies,
saying,
“When
you
are
blessed
with
so
many
interests
and
talents,
it’s
best
to
use
them
to
bring
you
joy.
It
doesn’t
always
have
to
be
a
job
that
supports
you.”

Your
Instagram
handle
describes
you
as
a
‘culinary
enthusiast’.
What
does
that
mean?

(Laughs)
To
answer
that
question,
let’s
go
back
by
a
few
years.

Family
and
friends
have
always
pointed
out
that
I’m
multi-talented.

So
one
day,
I
decided
to
list
out
my
interests
and
abilities,
which
I
had
not
been
able
to
explore
since
I
was
working
back-to-back.

Acting
is
my
profession,
and
it
goes
without
saying
that
I
love
it,
but
even
as
a
child,
whenever
I
wandered
into
the
kitchen
and
watched
my
grandmother
or
mother
cook,
I
experienced
a
strange
sense
of
fulfilment.

I
started
experimenting
with
it
myself
and
today,
I
enjoy
healthy
cooking
since
I’m
very
focused
on
fitness
and
staying
healthy.

Not
the
mundane

dal-chawal
stuff,
I
like
to
put
together
innovative
dishes.

(Chuckles)
I
got
my
first
compliment
from
my
mother
for
a

kathal
ki
sabzi.
I
had
prepared
because
I
had
made
the

shakahari
(vegetarian)
jackfruit
taste
like
mutton.

When
you
paint,
you
play
with
colours
on
the
canvas,
right?

Well,
cooking
for
me
is
art
on
a
plate.

That’s
a
lovely
turn
of
phrase.
Have
you
ever
thought
of
taking
up
this
interest
professionally?

I
have
a
hotel
with
a
restaurant
in
Goa.

I
set
up
the
kitchen
12
years
ago.

My
mother
always
says
that
you
don’t
need
to
learn
cooking
unless
you
are
taking
it
up
as
a
profession
or
because
of
some
dietary
compulsion,

swaad
ya
to
haath
mein
hoti
hai
ya
nahin
(You
either
have
the
flavours
in
your
hands
or
don’t).

But
since
the
hotel
has
a
Greek
theme,
I
learnt
Mediterranean
cooking.

Initially,
I
had
no
time
since
I
was
busy
with
my
acting
commitments
and
left
it
to
my
mother
and
my
team
to
handle
everything
and
keep
the
restaurant
running
smoothly.

Even
now,
I
don’t
cook
on
a
daily
basis
but
we
have
a
lot
of
get-togethers
at
home.
I
usually
make
a
dish
or
two
and
when,
among
10
items
on
the
table,
mine
is
singled
out,
it
definitely
boosts
my
confidence.

Do
you
have
a
signature
dish?

I
like
to
experiment
with
a
new
dish
every
time,
but
if
family
and
friends
request
a
particular
starter
or
dessert,
I
will
repeat
it.

I
love
whipping
up
different
kinds
of
healthy
soup,
salads
and
dips.

Also,
Punjabi
dishes
like

chole-puri
for
which
I
make
the
masala
myself.

Recently,
I
curated
a
10-day
food
fest
in
a
restaurant
in
Bandra
(north
west
Mumbai).

I
interacted
with
a
lot
of
people
who
would
keep
exclaiming,
‘Oh,
but
you
are
so
normal!’

(Laughs)
Just
because
you
are
an
actress
doesn’t
mean
you
can’t
be
normal.

I
would
love
to
do
more
such
food
pop-ups
in
future
and
enjoy
the
work
I
have
created.

Cooking,
like
painting,
is
also
a
stress-buster.
It
helps
me
forget
my
worries
and
anxieties.

Is
the
interest
in
art
fairly
new?

No,
even
when
I
was
in
school,
I
always
topped
in
art
class.

I
guess
I
inherited
this
talent
from
my
mother
who
has
an
art
background.

My
bungalow
in
Lonavala
has
several
of
my
canvases
on
display
and
I
did
the
interiors
of
my
Mumbai
home
myself.

I
like
working
with
large
walls
and
glass,
exploring different
mediums,
my
art
is
very
Bohemian
and
Mediterranean.

For
me,
cooking,
painting,
interior
designing
and
writing
are
hobbies.
Maybe
someday,
they
will
present
me
with
an
opportunity.

Besides
my
hobbies,
I’ve
always
wanted
to
work
for
animals
and
some
eight-nine
years
ago,
I
started
feeding
stray
dogs,
cats
and
cattle
in
Lonavala.

I
fixed
sheds
with
food
and
water
bowls
because
I
believe
by
filling
their
stomachs,
a
lot
of
problems
can
be
solved.

That’s
wonderful.

(Smiles)
Yes,
I
have
set
up
a
kitchen
where
food
is
cooked
everyday
between
6
am
and
10
am.

This
food
is
then
taken
in
vans
to
these
feeder
points.

There
are
about
50-60
of
them
across
Lonavala.

My
team
cleans
them
every
day
and
feeds
the
strays
from
11
am
to
6
am.

When
I
visit
Lonavala,
I
enjoy
watching
animals
coming
there
and
eating
to
their
heart’s
content.

One
dog
was
paralysed
in
an
accident
and
couldn’t
walk,
so
we
got
him
a
cart-like
contraption
with
wheels.

Through
my
foundation,
SAM
—
Spare
A
Moment
To
Make
A
Difference
—
we
are
focused
on
helping
stray
animals,
senior
citizens
and
the
underprivileged;
we
also
work
for
the
environment.

I
was
blessed
to
earn
a
lot
of
fame
and
money,
more
than
I
ever
expected,
and
the
time
has
come
to
share
what
I
have
earned
with
others.

If
I
am
not
mistaken,
you
have
also
directed
a
short
film?

Yes,
I
did
a
course
in
editing
at
London’s
LFA.

It’s
something
I’ve
always
enjoyed.

I
wrote
and
directed
the
20-minute
film

Little
Pause,
to
understand
how
things
work
behind
the
scenes.

When
you
are
an
actress,
you
just
waltz
on
to
the
set
and
are
treated
like
royalty.

But
there
was
a
hunger
in
me
to
go
beyond
that
and
experience
the
blood,
sweat
and
the
toil.

The
film
was
for
the
festival
circuit
and
won
27
awards.

Would
you
now
want
to
direct
a
feature
film
or
an
OTT
series?

I
haven’t
planned
anything.

When
you
are
blessed
with
so
many
interests
and
talents,
it’s
best
to
use
them
to
bring
you
joy.

It
doesn’t
always
have
to
be
a
job
that
supports
you.

Writing,
editing
and
directing
are
just
creative
outlets
that
bring
me
joy.

How
much
does
having
a
supportive
husband
like
Sameer
Vashi
help?

Of
course,
it
helps.

Sometimes,
you
get
lucky
and
find
a
wonderful
life
partner.

But
you
must
also
explain
to
your
family
who
you
are
and
what
you
want
to
do.

My
husband
and
I
love
to
travel
and
often
go
away
together.

But
over
the
years,
I’ve
realised
that
you
also
need
to
give
each
other
space
so
you
can
lead
your
lives
as
individuals.

Thankfully,
both
of
us
are
on
the
same
page
on
this.

Also,
you
should
not
have
over-expectations
from
each
other.

I
have
friends
who
are
so
dependent
on
each
other
that
they
are
unhappy
when
things
don’t
happen
their
way.

But
that’s
life
and
it
doesn’t
always
happen
your
way.

At
this
point
of
time,
I
don’t
want
to
be
tied
down
to
anything,
not
even
acting
which
is
my

pehla
nasha.

That
is
why
I
have
refused
many
films
and
shows
offering
good
money.

It’s
hard
to
say
no
but
I
want
to
enjoy
what
I
have
earned
and
created.

I
want
to
do
it
now
because
who
knows
if
I’ll
be
able
to
do
so
10-20
years
from
now.

Photographs
curated
by
Satish
Bodas/Rediff.com