Signing autographs, posing for the cameras, featuring on cover pages, giving sound bytes, having temples built and fan clubs formed.. Well, there is more to the lives of film stars. While it is just the glamour and fame that meets our eye, what goes unnoticed are the long and hectic work schedules and the pressures of having to travel and stay away from family and friends.

Chocolate hero Diganth uses his free time to chat on the net, listen to music or talk with his co-stars. “It’s good to develop a rapport with your-co-stars, that way you are more comfortable while acting. I really enjoyed working with Neetu,” he says.

While Uppi dada does not think that off-screen friendship necessarily influences a good performance, he also loves to interact with his colleagues. “This way you get to know about the different projects that are on floor and the kind of roles your contemporaries are doing,” he says.

But is it not a distraction to have others around? Not if the actors are professional, feels Ramesh Aravind. ``That way even mobile phones can also be quite irritating. As long as the unit is not kept waiting just because of a call or someone’s arrival, it’s fine. Anyway  I enjoy watching movies on my portable DVD when I’m free. After donning the director’s cap, I have had very little time, but when I do manage a break, I also work on the scripts of the movies I plan to make,” he adds.

Murali, however says, he is a people’s person.  ``You got to keep yourself busy or else the shooting and its demands can get to you real fast. So when I’m free, I play pranks on my unit members. Recently, I called my director and told him that I had arrived on the sets before him and the ever punctual man felt so guilty that he even apologised. But the truth was that I was still at home! 

Sada on the other hand says that she either takes a nap as it refreshes her or just watches her senior co-stars perform, to improve her skills. But wait, you must know what ‘Duniya’  Vijay does during his break.  “Oh, I make use of the time to read the things written about me in the media,” he says. 

My de-stress mantra is music. Whenever I get time off, I listen to music on my i-pod or surf on my  laptop.
– Ramya

A book is an important part of my handbag. I spend time reading comics, real life stories and autobiographies.
I also like to interact with family members and friends of my co-stars, who sometimes come on the sets.
– Daisy Bopanna