The prospect of having a weekend all to myself is always very exciting because there are a whole lot of things that I would have planned to do during that time.

Since my shooting schedules keep me away from home most of the time, I prefer to spend the weekend with my family. There are a host of things that we do together, including shopping, a bit of gardening and even experimenting with cooking.

Weekends are also when I catch up on my reading, which I never get to do at the pace I want on weekdays. I’ve just laid my hands on the ‘Vampire Series’ that was introduced to me by my sister Kajol, who is a voracious reader. She passes on all her books to me.

I am also reading a couple of spiritual books, especially those on positive thinking. I even read a lot between my shooting schedules, whenever my shot is through or when a set is being changed.

I don’t compromise on my exercise routine, whether it’s a weekend or a weekday. On a Sunday morning, I hit the gym in my sister’s house and work out for as long as I want, not only because the gym is empty but also because I have the luxury of time. I do cardio, weights and yoga — all in equal measure, because a mix of all these helps me de-stress.

I picked up a few tips on cooking and learnt how to make Punjabi ‘parathas’ during my stint on ‘Bigg Boss 7’. I love Continental food and all my experiments in the kitchen revolve around trying different combinations of making Continental dishes. I always enjoy digging into ‘gnocchi’ and pasta. And weekends are when I try my hand at making ‘chicken cordon bleu’ and ‘rosemary grilled salmon.’

I also make it a point to watch my favourite shows on television. I particularly like all the Hollywood serials and closely follow all the episodes that are aired over the weekend. This way, even if I have missed the episodes through the week, I catch them all at once over the weekend.

I find social media extremely useful in disseminating information but I am not addicted to technology and can completely shut off my phones and other gadgets. I can let go off technology and still be happy. I am a people’s person and so weekends are also the time when I hang out with a close bunch of friends from school and college at our regular hangouts.

I need the slightest of excuse to go shopping because I love to dress up. I am
particular about what I wear and always make sure that I wear the right thing for the right occasion. Clothes, jewellery and shoes are my weaknesses and I totally surrender to them.

Gardening is another favourite pastime. I maintain a small garden on my terrace and love picking up a few medicinal plants for it. We have plenty of trees and some rare plants in our estate and sometimes, I spend my weekends amid lush greenery which leaves me thoroughly refreshed and rejuvenated.

If I have a film release over the weekend, then I am busy with promotions. I’ve always wanted to secretly slip into the theatres when my film releases and be a part of the audience but I have never been able to get myself to do that simply because I am always nervous before and on the day of the release.

It may sound funny but I also catch up on a lot of gossip over the weekends with my family and friends. A bit of friendly gossipping is both relaxing and entertaining. Looking back, all the weekends so far have not only given me a lot of ‘me’ time but have also been quite eventful.   

A few of my favourite things
 
 Working out
 Books
 Hollywood soaps
 Shopping
 Spending time with family and friends.

(As told to Nina C George)