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Doctor-turned-TV star, Anuj Saxena believes, "It's nice to be important, but it is more important to be nice. I have a good sense of humour and common sense – a trait not at all common."
We met Anuj and his lovely wife Ishmit on a lazy Sunday afternoon over a meal of delicious soup and pasta. The hero of Lips (he co-stars with the modelicious Maushami in an extramarital drama) and Kkusum's confused screen pati, Anuj is very clear in his real life priorities. No cooking, no shooting on Sundays and no oily food as far as possible.
Thought for food
The first thing I do in the morning is touch the feet of Sai Baba and it's also the last thing I do in a day.
A hot cup of tea is a must. Now my wife has hooked me on to honey and hot water which is good for the system.
I start my day at the gym at 5:30 am. I have my own personal trainer and a gym in my office too. I alternate between the gym and martial arts. I leave for my shoot or office at 9 am.
I try to take a break from shooting on Sundays.
For breakfast, I have homemade dhalia with milk, two teaspoons of honey and dry fruits and a papaya or some other fresh fruit.
My favourite fruits are papayas, bananas and strawberries. I normally have a protein shake also after the workout, in which I add egg whites and bananas.
I am strictly a non-vegetarian, but we eat mostly vegetarian for dinner.
In the office, I have boiled chicken and salads, or if I am in the mood, I order a chicken sandwich made of whole meal bread with no mayonnaise or butter.
I avoid the food on the sets because it is invariably oily. I have only khichdi and kadhi, if at all. At any set, it's always, "Anujji ke liye ek khichdi aur dahi bhej do, bas aur kuchh nahin."
I don't like or eat red meat. I am partial to chicken and also relish seafood; fish, lobsters and crab. I have even experimented with seahorses — they wriggle down your throat.
Thai Pavilion has the best crabmeat in town. Fish is best eaten steamed. I don't eat spicy food because it doesn't agree with my system.
In Mumbai for Chinese food, I love Golden Dragon at Taj, Sampan at Holiday Inn and Alfresco at Ramada Guestline.
I fast on Mondays and Thursdays for religious reasons. In vegetarian fare, I prefer paneer and capsicum, baingan bharta, black dal and hot rotis. I hate karela and tinde ka sabji.
Yoghurt is a must with every meal.
In the evenings if I am hungry, I have biscuits with tea. When I am in a mood to splurge, I eat chocolate bourbons, otherwise it's glucose biscuits.
I have a weakness for samosas, hot, fried and crispy. Everybody, from my makeup man to the unit hands, ask me, "Anujji, samosa hai. Chahiye aapko?" In pickles, I like mirchi ka achar, nimbu ka achar and chhunda.
At dinner, food at home varies from day to day. My favourite dal is black dal without butter.
In meetha, I like chocolate brownies with vanilla ice cream. I can have a box full of walnut brownies, ice creams and kaju burfi. Barista serves excellent walnut brownies. At Shatranj, the brownies are hot, steaming and wrapped in aluminium foil.
The last thing that I have before sleeping is water.
In North Indian cuisine, I love tandoori kebabs and raan. I relish it when someone sends across Sindhi curry or dhoklas and theplas. Rupa Diwechaji (Sarla), who plays my mom in Kkusum, is a Gujarati. She brings pastas and theplas with hari mirchi ka achhar for me.
I like pizzas with a lot of cheese.
I don't drink aerated stuff, but there's diet coke in my fridge because my wife is a diet coke freak.
Toblerone, Mars, Snickers and Kit-Kat are my favourite chocolates.
My favourite drink is Campari on the rocks. I can have a whole bottle without getting high.
Both my mom and my dadi are amazing cooks.
Outside H R College, you get the best pav-bhaji. When I was in Jai Hind college, I would hang outside HR. We would frequent Samrat for aamras puri.
When I was studying in JJ Hospital, there was a place called Almas. They made excellent chicken makhanwala and naan.
I can only cook pasta. Once at a Christmas party, I emptied two bottles of champagne in pasta and the dish got so popular, it was over in minutes.
A friend also taught me to make aloo soup. It is fast to cook and good to drink, particularly in winters. I don't cook any more.
My favourite kitchen appliance is an electrical kettle.
On a hot summer's day, I like drinking lots of Pina Coladas, beers and Bacardi.
In Delhi, there is a restaurant in Gaffar Market, Karol Bagh where my dad and I would feast on fried fish and bheja masala. I like the House of Ming at The Taj in Delhi too. In Kolkata, I binge on Bengali fish and mishti doi.
I met my wife for the first time at the sea-facing lounge at the Marriott. It was raining that day.
While shooting for Lips at Queens End, we stayed at Hotel Pan-American. We would have sandwiches, salads or lasagna. A lot of Indians would send Abhay Kapoor (my character in Kkusum) home-cooked food.
I think I resemble a ladyfinger.
My wife is learning to cook. She made a very delicious Thai meal for me once. We sent the servants off and had a romantic meal, candle light et al.
We celebrated our honeymoon in Maldives — alcohol, seafood, the works. or a romantic meal, I would like to sit at home, cuddle under a blanket, share a cup of tea and watch a movie together. Why do you have to go to Paris to feel romantic?
I am a black coffee addict. I drink 4-5 cups a day.
Try a combination of milk rose and fresh orange pieces churned thoroughly with ice in a mixer. One should also try papaya and kharbooj ka juice. It is very soothing to the stomach, particularly in summers.
We met Anuj and his lovely wife Ishmit on a lazy Sunday afternoon over a meal of delicious soup and pasta. The hero of Lips (he co-stars with the modelicious Maushami in an extramarital drama) and Kkusum's confused screen pati, Anuj is very clear in his real life priorities. No cooking, no shooting on Sundays and no oily food as far as possible.
Thought for food
The first thing I do in the morning is touch the feet of Sai Baba and it's also the last thing I do in a day.
A hot cup of tea is a must. Now my wife has hooked me on to honey and hot water which is good for the system.
I start my day at the gym at 5:30 am. I have my own personal trainer and a gym in my office too. I alternate between the gym and martial arts. I leave for my shoot or office at 9 am.
I try to take a break from shooting on Sundays.
For breakfast, I have homemade dhalia with milk, two teaspoons of honey and dry fruits and a papaya or some other fresh fruit.
My favourite fruits are papayas, bananas and strawberries. I normally have a protein shake also after the workout, in which I add egg whites and bananas.
I am strictly a non-vegetarian, but we eat mostly vegetarian for dinner.
In the office, I have boiled chicken and salads, or if I am in the mood, I order a chicken sandwich made of whole meal bread with no mayonnaise or butter.
I avoid the food on the sets because it is invariably oily. I have only khichdi and kadhi, if at all. At any set, it's always, "Anujji ke liye ek khichdi aur dahi bhej do, bas aur kuchh nahin."
I don't like or eat red meat. I am partial to chicken and also relish seafood; fish, lobsters and crab. I have even experimented with seahorses — they wriggle down your throat.
Thai Pavilion has the best crabmeat in town. Fish is best eaten steamed. I don't eat spicy food because it doesn't agree with my system.
In Mumbai for Chinese food, I love Golden Dragon at Taj, Sampan at Holiday Inn and Alfresco at Ramada Guestline.
I fast on Mondays and Thursdays for religious reasons. In vegetarian fare, I prefer paneer and capsicum, baingan bharta, black dal and hot rotis. I hate karela and tinde ka sabji.
Yoghurt is a must with every meal.
In the evenings if I am hungry, I have biscuits with tea. When I am in a mood to splurge, I eat chocolate bourbons, otherwise it's glucose biscuits.
I have a weakness for samosas, hot, fried and crispy. Everybody, from my makeup man to the unit hands, ask me, "Anujji, samosa hai. Chahiye aapko?" In pickles, I like mirchi ka achar, nimbu ka achar and chhunda.
At dinner, food at home varies from day to day. My favourite dal is black dal without butter.
In meetha, I like chocolate brownies with vanilla ice cream. I can have a box full of walnut brownies, ice creams and kaju burfi. Barista serves excellent walnut brownies. At Shatranj, the brownies are hot, steaming and wrapped in aluminium foil.
The last thing that I have before sleeping is water.
In North Indian cuisine, I love tandoori kebabs and raan. I relish it when someone sends across Sindhi curry or dhoklas and theplas. Rupa Diwechaji (Sarla), who plays my mom in Kkusum, is a Gujarati. She brings pastas and theplas with hari mirchi ka achhar for me.
I like pizzas with a lot of cheese.
I don't drink aerated stuff, but there's diet coke in my fridge because my wife is a diet coke freak.
Toblerone, Mars, Snickers and Kit-Kat are my favourite chocolates.
My favourite drink is Campari on the rocks. I can have a whole bottle without getting high.
Both my mom and my dadi are amazing cooks.
Outside H R College, you get the best pav-bhaji. When I was in Jai Hind college, I would hang outside HR. We would frequent Samrat for aamras puri.
When I was studying in JJ Hospital, there was a place called Almas. They made excellent chicken makhanwala and naan.
I can only cook pasta. Once at a Christmas party, I emptied two bottles of champagne in pasta and the dish got so popular, it was over in minutes.
A friend also taught me to make aloo soup. It is fast to cook and good to drink, particularly in winters. I don't cook any more.
My favourite kitchen appliance is an electrical kettle.
On a hot summer's day, I like drinking lots of Pina Coladas, beers and Bacardi.
In Delhi, there is a restaurant in Gaffar Market, Karol Bagh where my dad and I would feast on fried fish and bheja masala. I like the House of Ming at The Taj in Delhi too. In Kolkata, I binge on Bengali fish and mishti doi.
I met my wife for the first time at the sea-facing lounge at the Marriott. It was raining that day.
While shooting for Lips at Queens End, we stayed at Hotel Pan-American. We would have sandwiches, salads or lasagna. A lot of Indians would send Abhay Kapoor (my character in Kkusum) home-cooked food.
I think I resemble a ladyfinger.
My wife is learning to cook. She made a very delicious Thai meal for me once. We sent the servants off and had a romantic meal, candle light et al.
We celebrated our honeymoon in Maldives — alcohol, seafood, the works. or a romantic meal, I would like to sit at home, cuddle under a blanket, share a cup of tea and watch a movie together. Why do you have to go to Paris to feel romantic?
I am a black coffee addict. I drink 4-5 cups a day.
Try a combination of milk rose and fresh orange pieces churned thoroughly with ice in a mixer. One should also try papaya and kharbooj ka juice. It is very soothing to the stomach, particularly in summers.
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