<p>A performer since the age of six, Ira Dubey has had a prolific career in both films and theatre. Her theatrical work includes ‘9 Parts of Desire’, ‘30 Days in September’ and ‘Wedding Album’. She is also starring in Tennessee Williams’ ‘The Glass Menagerie’ directed by Rajit Kapur and Henrik Ibsen’s ‘A Doll’s House’ directed by Pushan Kripalani. </p>.<p>Ira’s film credits include ‘The President is Coming’, ‘Aisha’ and ‘M Cream’ among others. She has completed shooting for two films — one starring Alia Bhatt and Shah Rukh Khan, directed by Gauri Shinde titled ‘Dear Zindagi’ and another titled ‘Shikara’, where she plays the lead.<br /><br /><br /><br />Inspiration<br />Lillete Dubey<br /><br />“I’ve drawn inspiration from everything around me including the people I work with and even my audience. But if I have to narrow down, then it is my mother Lillete and father Ravi. My mother is a fantastic mom and a very independent woman. She’s a stickler for honesty and has always taught us to be ourselves and speak the truth. My father was a complete charmer with a wonderful sense of humour. He was someone who believed in integrity.”</p>.<p>Food<br />Italian pizza<br /><br />“This may sound a bit of a cliche and horrifying to health freaks but I love pizza. And I don’t think anybody can make pizzas the way Italians do. I also love my ‘ghar ka khaana’ and am a certified chocoholic as well! Chocolate inspires me everyday. I even like to try the local cuisine of whichever place I am in. I love food but I eat everything in moderation.”<br /><br /><br />Author<br />Haruki Murakami<br /><br />“There are too many books that I can never put down. Among them, ‘The Fountainhead’ by Ayn Rand and the works of Haruki Murakami and William Golding are indeed life-changing. ‘Heart of Darkness’ by Joseph Conrad is very engaging and I also read with great interest the works of John Irving. All the authors whom I’ve mentioned here have tremendously impacted my life.” <br /><br /><br />Theatre<br />Henrik Ibsen<br /><br />“Theatre is my life and I am inspired by it in everything I do. At present, I am majorly influenced by Henrik Ibsen. ‘A Doll's House’, written by him in 1879, is a family drama where a woman leaves her husband and three children. Nora is a fascinating role and I am grateful to be playing it, thanks to my talented director Pushan and co-actor Joy Sengupta. Also, who isn’t inspired by Shakespeare? We’ve seen Shakespeare being reinterpreted even in films like ‘Omkara’ and that inspires me. I am also inspired by original, novel and unique voices in theatre all the time and would love to work with Rajat Kapoor and Abhishek Majumdar.”<br /><br /><br />Travel<br />Goa <br /><br />“Goa is by far one of my most preferred holiday spots. I love the beaches and the laidback life of the people there, not to forget the food. Goa is also close to me because as a child, I used to spend two weeks at the Taj hotel every summer with my family. It was our quiet family time indeed. <br /> New York has a pulse of its own. Italy is another favourite and I also like South Africa for its natural beauty, uncannily positive people and vibrant <br />culture.”<br /><br />Music<br />Alanis Morisette<br /><br />“As a young pre-teenager, someone very memorable and inspiring to me was Alanis Morisette. I knew her album ‘Jagged Little Pill' by heart when I was 12 years old. I grew up listening to Simon & Garfunkel and associate them with my father because he listened to them a lot. I think ‘Coldplay’ has managed to create a sound that is unique and will remain popular for their original music, attention to lyrics and intelligence.”<br /><br />(As told to Nina C George)<br /></p>
<p>A performer since the age of six, Ira Dubey has had a prolific career in both films and theatre. Her theatrical work includes ‘9 Parts of Desire’, ‘30 Days in September’ and ‘Wedding Album’. She is also starring in Tennessee Williams’ ‘The Glass Menagerie’ directed by Rajit Kapur and Henrik Ibsen’s ‘A Doll’s House’ directed by Pushan Kripalani. </p>.<p>Ira’s film credits include ‘The President is Coming’, ‘Aisha’ and ‘M Cream’ among others. She has completed shooting for two films — one starring Alia Bhatt and Shah Rukh Khan, directed by Gauri Shinde titled ‘Dear Zindagi’ and another titled ‘Shikara’, where she plays the lead.<br /><br /><br /><br />Inspiration<br />Lillete Dubey<br /><br />“I’ve drawn inspiration from everything around me including the people I work with and even my audience. But if I have to narrow down, then it is my mother Lillete and father Ravi. My mother is a fantastic mom and a very independent woman. She’s a stickler for honesty and has always taught us to be ourselves and speak the truth. My father was a complete charmer with a wonderful sense of humour. He was someone who believed in integrity.”</p>.<p>Food<br />Italian pizza<br /><br />“This may sound a bit of a cliche and horrifying to health freaks but I love pizza. And I don’t think anybody can make pizzas the way Italians do. I also love my ‘ghar ka khaana’ and am a certified chocoholic as well! Chocolate inspires me everyday. I even like to try the local cuisine of whichever place I am in. I love food but I eat everything in moderation.”<br /><br /><br />Author<br />Haruki Murakami<br /><br />“There are too many books that I can never put down. Among them, ‘The Fountainhead’ by Ayn Rand and the works of Haruki Murakami and William Golding are indeed life-changing. ‘Heart of Darkness’ by Joseph Conrad is very engaging and I also read with great interest the works of John Irving. All the authors whom I’ve mentioned here have tremendously impacted my life.” <br /><br /><br />Theatre<br />Henrik Ibsen<br /><br />“Theatre is my life and I am inspired by it in everything I do. At present, I am majorly influenced by Henrik Ibsen. ‘A Doll's House’, written by him in 1879, is a family drama where a woman leaves her husband and three children. Nora is a fascinating role and I am grateful to be playing it, thanks to my talented director Pushan and co-actor Joy Sengupta. Also, who isn’t inspired by Shakespeare? We’ve seen Shakespeare being reinterpreted even in films like ‘Omkara’ and that inspires me. I am also inspired by original, novel and unique voices in theatre all the time and would love to work with Rajat Kapoor and Abhishek Majumdar.”<br /><br /><br />Travel<br />Goa <br /><br />“Goa is by far one of my most preferred holiday spots. I love the beaches and the laidback life of the people there, not to forget the food. Goa is also close to me because as a child, I used to spend two weeks at the Taj hotel every summer with my family. It was our quiet family time indeed. <br /> New York has a pulse of its own. Italy is another favourite and I also like South Africa for its natural beauty, uncannily positive people and vibrant <br />culture.”<br /><br />Music<br />Alanis Morisette<br /><br />“As a young pre-teenager, someone very memorable and inspiring to me was Alanis Morisette. I knew her album ‘Jagged Little Pill' by heart when I was 12 years old. I grew up listening to Simon & Garfunkel and associate them with my father because he listened to them a lot. I think ‘Coldplay’ has managed to create a sound that is unique and will remain popular for their original music, attention to lyrics and intelligence.”<br /><br />(As told to Nina C George)<br /></p>
