“I Quit Acting Because It Was Necessary To Give Priority To My Personal Life, Especially Since I Had Taken Up Acting Just When I Was 18” Esha Deol Takhtani

Esha Deol Takhtani is all set to stage her comeback with the short film Cakewalk which is scheduled for a world premiere telecast on February 17. In this freewheeling interview at her mother Hema Malini’s bungalow, Esha tells JYOTHI VENKATESH whether it was a cake walk for her to be part of Cakewalk

You left acting in films when you were at your peak. Do you have any regrets?

I did what I felt being a woman and felt that getting married to the boy of my choice and settling down at the right time with my own family was my priority and I did exactly that. Personal life should always be important in every one’s life. If you remember I had started my career at the age of just 18 when producer Boney Kapoor introduced me to films with his brother Sanjay Kapoor in the lead. It was a question to too soon too raw in my case when I made my debut

How do you feel making a comeback with the short film Cakewalk?

All of us actresses who have settled down will definitely stage a comeback. As far as I am concerned, I will always keep on staging a comeback in life as far as my career is concerned, whether it is acting or dancing. I will always be creative and take my nice little hibernating breaks since Bharat encourages me a lot. I just cannot sit idle at home just looking after my kids or disappear from the limelight forever. I am delighted that the short film Cakewalk in which I have played the leading lady is the first short film to be telecast as a world premiere on Rishtay Cineplex on Sunday 17 this month. It has opened the gateway for many short films in the future because it is getting an outlet to reach masses in a big manner.

Were you not skeptical about taking up an offer to act in a short film after having acted in several feature films in the past?

Frankly speaking m I had no qualms at all because times are different now and a lot of actors in Bollywood have already acted in web series like Saif Ali Khan, Vivek Oberoi, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Naseeruddin Shah etc. Maybe years ago, I would have thought not just twice but several times before I said yes to an offer to act in a web series or a short film.

How would you describe Cakewalk?

Cakewalk is a today film and very contemporary. It sets out to tackle the issue of woman empowerment in a very positive manner. It is about the conflict in a woman when she decides to take up what she wants to do. It is an issue which will ruing in many women’s lives today though luckily I am married to my childhood crush Bharat who is very encouraging like most Mumbai based boys are. A new platform has opened for a lot of actors. It is great for married actors who used to feel that it was the end of their lives after their marriage. Luckily for us, we do not have to restrict ourselves any more to just one zone.

Can you tell something about the role of Shilpa that you play in Cakewalk?

I play a housewife called Shilpa Sen. It deals with 24 hours in Shilpa’s life, where she needs to win her own battle- battle that she has been fighting for the last several years. Shilpa needs to bake a cake for a high profile couple who plan to celebrate their wedding anniversary in Kolkata. Though it might seem an easy task for any other chef, for Shilpa it is anything but cakewalk. The short film has been directed by journalist tuned filmmaker Ram Kamal Mukhjerjee and Abhra Chakraborty and produced by Dinesh Gupta, Shailendra Kumar and Siddhartha Chatterjee. The short film also stars besides me actors like Tarun Malhotra, Anindita Bose and Siddhartha Chatterjee.

How challenging is your role?

It is a very challenging role. If in the past, I have been liked in any role in any film, it is only because the director was good and if I was trolled, it was again because the director was not up to the mark.

 How was Ram Kamal Mukherjee as a director? Is it true that you had insisted on him directing the film though it is his debut?

Yes. Ram Kamal Mukherjee is a Hands on director and ahs an inner confidence to do what he takes up. Whatever he does, Ram does with full conviction, whether it is writing or direction. The way he had written and narrated the subject was good enough to inspire me and hence not only did readily take up the role but also asked him to direct it himself if he wanted me to be part of it as an actor.

Can you name five best films of yours as an actress till date?

Till date, I have been a part of 33 films as an actress. Out of them, I’d name Na Tum Jaano Na Hum. Ankahee, Dhoom 3, Yuva, its Tamil version and my debut film Koi Mere Dil Se Poochcho with Jaya Bachchan and produced by Boney Kapoor as my personal favorites till date.

In what way do you think you have evolved as an actress over the years?

I agree that I was one of the rawest of the actors Bollywood had ever seen when I made my debut with Koi Mere Dil Se Poochcho whereas today’s girls are groomed in every respect. I was not at all groomed but then it added certain innocence to my character in my films. Today you ate seeing a fully grown up Esha Takhtani in front of you

You are expecting your second child now in a few more months. Is a boy child in your wish list since you already have a daughter as your first born?

Yes. After Cakewalk is released, my Baby No 2 is also on its way. I am okay whether a son or daughter is born to Bharat and I. I was happy equally when my first child was a daughter. You just cannot plan a son or a daughter. It is all God’s wish.

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