'I look up to Madhuri Dixit': Sara Khan on balancing personal & professional life

Actress Sara Khan considers Bollywood star Madhuri Dixit Nene as her idol when it comes to maintaining a balance between her personal and professional life. She said, “I admire how Madhuri Dixit protected her personal life from the public glare, she got away from it completely.” “She is so beautiful and talented, and I always look up to her in terms of how she maintained her career and personal life so well and, even now, when she is back in this industry, she has this balance with where she needs to talk about what she needs to talk about,” Sara added.
However, the “Sapna Babul Ka… Bidaai” actress agrees that for a public figure it is very difficult to protect their lives from the media. “For an actor, yes, it is very tough to shield their personal life because once you're in this industry, everyone considers you to be their source of entertainment, whether it is something personal or private, or it is related to this industry. Once you are in this industry, you are a public figure. And we are called public figures, because everything is out there. So it is impossible to hide anything from the public and the media,” she said.
So where do you draw the line? “I have grown up in this industry. I never knew, and I had nobody to tell me how to be there. I used to say whatever came to my mind and do whatever I believed. But now, times have changed. I believe you should keep your family, your private life to yourself, because it is not for anyone's entertainment. Your profession is such where you're entertaining people by singing, dancing, acting, which is enough. I don't think I would like to talk about my personal life more or showcase it out loud,” she said.“Also, to be honest, we are no one to decide what to reveal, and what not to reveal there, because even if you try to do so, things will eventually come out. So it's better to live a life where it is okay if people get to know things, and it still doesn’t harm you or affect you,” Sara added.
She believes that social media has bridged the gap between an actor and their fans, which also gives them a sense of security. However, she is not one to share every detail.“Actors used to hide their personal life before when there was just one source which was news. Now actors have their own handles on social media which they use actively and talk about their personal lives, and feel more connected to the public, to the audience, which gives them a sense of security. Earlier, I too used to feel the same way, but now I believe my personal life is my personal life and I don't want to talk about what I'm doing, where I'm going, whom I'm meeting etc. This change happened in me with time, but yes there are people who are okay with it and we are nobody to judge. It's their life however they want to connect with the public, how they want to be there in the news, whether through social media or through news channels. It's completely their choice and life,” she said.
Sharing her take on the current trend where new parents are revealing their baby’s face and talk openly about them, while earlier it used to be away from the media's gaze for long, she said, “Earlier social media wasn't there. It didn't exist and today if you see Instagram or Snapchat, social media is all over the place and it is like a trend now that you talk about your personal activities and people actually wait for it.” “I feel it is very open now because this is in fashion, it’s the current obsession,” Sara concluded.

Madirakshi Mundle shines in 'Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak', breaks stereotypes with diverse roles

Madirakshi Mundle, who portrays the character Shaina in the popular TV show 'Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak' on Colors TV is winning hearts with her outstanding performance with emphatic shades of grey. She has been receiving rave reviews for her role and is elated with all the positive feedback from her fans& audiences on social media as well as her friends and acquaintances in the industry.Speaking about her experience on the show, Madirakshi said, "This show has been a gamechanger for me. It has demonstrated that I can play a wide variety of roles beyond mythology leads." Her versatility as an actress has been acknowledged by her fans who are showering her with compliments for her natural and sharp acting skills.
When asked about the producers, Mrinal and Abhigyan Jha, Madirakshi said, "They are wonderful producers to work with, and I cherish our association a lot. Over and above all else, they are very lovely people personally. The atmosphere on the set is very friendly and cordial" she added. Madirakshi also mentioned attending the launch party of Mrinal and Abhigyan Jha's new show 'Janani - Ai Ki Kahani' and wishes them luck and loads of success.
Speaking about the title of her show, Madirakshi acknowledged its uniqueness. "I am of course aware that Aamir Khan's debut movie also was titled 'Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak'. It's interesting how titles can have such a connection," she said with a smile.When asked about the evolution of content on television, Madirakshi expressed her thoughts on the growth of the medium. "TV has come a long way in terms of content themes I feel. It's no longer limited to Saas-Bahu soap operas which still enjoy an extremely robust fan following no doubt. We now get to see a variety of stories ranging from reincarnation, AI, thrillers, love stories to family dramas," she remarked.
Madirakshi's journey in the television industry reflects her strong love for acting and her keenness to explore roles that are a gateway to an expansive range of avenues that allow variety in artistic expression. With her talent and dedication, she is paving the way for increasingly versatile & compelling roles on television and newer mediums.

Yashashri Masurkar: Wish summer vacations were an adult thing too!

While taking short breaks and holidays are totally worth it, actress Yashashri Masurkar wishes that she, too, got summer breaks, like the ones school kids enjoy. She adds that being an adult comes with a lot of responsibilities but sometimes, it’s important to just have fun as well.“How I wish summer vacations were an adult thing too! Adults do enjoy small summer vacations but it doesn’t even get close to Garmi ki chuttiyan! We all are trapped by our needs and wants. We aren’t as free as we were in our childhood. We do worry about our bills, responsibilities and are also controlled by the employer,” she says.
However, she says that breaks are super important.Especially in today’s stressful times we need to take a break and recharge… no matter what your profession is, your brain needs a chhutti. Plus, when you come back from break, you are motivated to work,” she says.She adds, “I usually try and take a monthly break. It varies from travelling long distances to just indulging in a favourite hobby. There’s no preparation as such because I can’t plan my breaks with the kind of work that I do. So, whenever I see a week that’s free, I travel. If I just have a couple of days, then I watch movies, read books, or sometimes even paint. Basically, the point is to do something that is out of your routine and gives you joy does the trick.”
In fact, she says that people need to take a break from their mobile phones as well. “We all survived in the pre- mobile era, didn’t we? It was actually a better time because we respected each other’s time and privacy. I usually avoid calls until they are very important when I am on long breaks. It is important to take back that access you have given the world and connect with your inner self. It’s important to preserve your energy.”

Aditya Deshmukh: I think the biggest asset for an actor is his fans

Fans can make you or break you, says Suhaagan actor Aditya Deshmukh. He adds that while being a celebrity makes you influential, it’s your fans and their love that can truly make you a star.“Being a celebrity surely makes you more responsible. You develop a sense of responsibility towards the work you do, and if people like you, at the end of the day, you have achieved success. Your audience can transform you, from a celebrity, to a star, if they believe that you are good at your work. That’s how you get a sense of belongingness,” he says.
He adds, “I take a lot of pride in myself as an actor or wanting to be a star, in the near future, which I know I will be. I know that! It feels great that we are among the chosen ones, who are actually pursuing our dreams, who have actually chosen to get into this field. So sometimes, I really feel that it's very important to know what you really want to be in your life. There are times when people don't realise what they want to do and what they won’t want to. And that's how they end up regretting their decisions later in life.”
He says that he is so happy to be part of showbiz. “I feel so grateful that I have made the decision to be an actor. Today I'm here, doing what I dreamt of. I take pride in it, and it feels good. You receive different treatment, and your work is acknowledged; people appreciate you and put you on a pedestal. And I think the biggest asset for an actor is his fans. We are nothing without our fans. They make us, they break us, and they have every right to say anything to us, but my only request is they shouldn't get personal. If you have a problem with my work, movie, web series, or show, it's okay, but don't get personal. I'm more of a reactor than an actor; I react too fast. It's not good for me, but I'm working on it,” he says.

Health and wellness have to do with mental and physical health: Nivedita Basu

Nivedita Basu, Senior VP at Atrangii Group, feels health and wellness are not only about an individual’s physical health, they're about an individual as a whole. She said, “Health and wellness have to do with mental and physical health. You need to exercise, you need to do basic steps.” “A health watch is a mandatory thing in every person's life, but mostly it is mental health, and that is the reason why everyone is suffering from these diseases,” she added.
Nivedita also feels that people sometimes blindly accept anything that’s been referred to as healthy to them, like in advertisements or restaurants. “We just need to go to a restaurant and store and ask them what the healthy replacement is." There is no validation of what they have mixed. We blindly pick it up and think we are going to be healthy and slim. I don't think we really go back to see whether it is genuine or not, we just believe in the ad and go ahead,” she said.
She further confessed that it’s very rare for her to check the ingredients of any food item that she is buying, as she generally goes by what’s mentioned on the packaging. “I genuinely see the products that are selling, but mostly, like I said, if it says it is healthy or it says brown rice, I pick it up blindly. There are so many times when my friends from the health industry actually come and say that you don't know that this is mixed with this particular product. But I still trust the words of the seller, who says healthy products,” she said.
But she agrees that certain products or ingredients can do harm rather than benefit the consumer. She said, “Some products are useful in somebody else's case but can be harmful to you, so one needs to identify their own body. There is no one universal diet that everyone can follow to become slim. Everybody is different, and I think one needs to understand their own body. More than a dietician, I think one themselves needs to understand.”
And though she watches a lot of nutritionists and fitness experts, she doesn’t follow anyone blindly. She added, “I overall see what they are saying and just follow it in my own way. It's not like I blindly follow, but yes, I follow a lot of things. AI kind of identifies on social media, and they show me stuff about what people are doing for this, what comes in healthy cooking, eating, so yes, I do follow them in my day-to-day life.”
Nivedita emphasised that social media has taught her to accept herself the way she is, instead of buying the idea of slim.“Being slim is not a great thing. Sometimes healthy people, plumpy people look sexy, and have more strength than a person who is slim fit and goes to the gym. I would say, on the contrary, that social media has opened our minds to the fact that being slim is not generic. I think it's being healthy and having core body strength to sustain things that's bigger,” she ended.