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F Factor |
| At home with Apara Mehta The actress holds forth on her unhealthy eating habits |
With over 1000 episodes of Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka and another 1000 of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi tucked under her belt, Apara has redefined TV success stories. Playing the lead role in both the serials Apara has become a household name. Though one has seen her on both the big as well as the small screen, her first love still remains Gujarati theatre. The actress has her day packed with work and she works almost 20 hours day! She describes her food routine and her very unhealthy eating habits. All things Gujju "My idea of food is home cooked food. Food to me means my mother's and my own cooked food. Both of us are great cooks. I am a typical Gujarati and love Gujarati food. We do not use any garlic and onions in our food and I love anything that is vegetarian. But I love spicy food like green chillies with gathiya, which is a must. Food redefined But today food means anything that I put in my mouth - out of sheer necessity. Because of my lifestyle I eat on the move. So it can be anything from a vada pav to an idli. Since 1997 I have begun to eat unit food because it is impossible for me to carry my own food as I start the day with a 7 a.m. shift. Daily routine My day begins with a cup of English tea at home. It has to be pot tea as I don't have the time to make the traditional Indian style tea. I never ever have any breakfast at home. Once I reach the sets I go on to have atleast another 8-10 cups of sugar free tea. Usually I have some idlis as there is this idliwalla who comes on the set and I have 5-6 tiny idlis. Sometimes 'ba ' (Sudha Shivpuri) carries upma and poha from home and the unit of Kyonki is now like a big family so most of us have the breakfast she brings. My lunch is very weird as sometimes I grab a quick bite between shots and this is the food served on location. Sometimes when I am travelling for a show then I eat on the flight. This happens for atleast 10 days in a month. My dinner too is at 2 a.m. after my stage shows and breakfast on the return flight. |
Being a true blue blooded Gujarati, Apara loves to snack. Anything from papdi to muthiya to chivda to chaklis. "But my weight does not permit me this luxury. So most of the time I end up munching on sev-mumra. And thank God for the fact that I do not have a sweet tooth. So mithais are completely out for me."
No time to cook
The irony being that though she is a great cook she hardly ever cooks for her 19 year old daughter, Khushali or her husband. "In fact my family yearns for my cooking. And so do I. There are times when Khushali insists I make her aloo parathas and I take time out to please her."
From Italian to Punjabi
I do experiment with different cuisines but do not enjoy authentic Chinese, as it is bland. I am quite fond of Italian food and often go to Little Italy with my family for some good Italian food. Being a vegetarian the choice gets narrowed down. South-Indian and Punjabi food is something I enjoy and very often I just pick it up from any fast food joint.
So what would Apara do on a lazy Sunday afternoon?
She laughs as she says, "Sunday is the busiest day of the week for me as I always have 2 shows besides the regular 7 a.m. shoot. But ofcourse, an ideal way I wish I could spend it is by getting up late, have a leisurely cup of tea on my swing (Which incidentally is her favourite corner in the house and which she says is so beautiful as it is made in carved wood and has brass links) and then cook a traditional meal for all of us. This would typically be rotli, dal, raita and stuffed baingan-aloo subji. After lunch I would go back to sleep and then in the evening go watch a good Gujarati play.
| Jaahnavi P Paal |
Anupamaa
Kumkum Bhagya
