In the company of pets and pals

Bollywood actor Rohit Saraf made his mark with 'Gauri Shinde's 'Dear Zindagi'. Before entering the industry, he was a professional contemporary, ballet and jazz dancer for six years. He was also a part of Channel V's serial 'BFFs'. Rohit will next be seen in YRF's 'Hichki', set to release on March 23. This will be his second Bollywood movie. Rohit will also be seen in 'What will people say', an internationally co-produced drama film directed and written by Iram Haq.

We actors, especially the ones who are starting new, don't have a weekend per se because we are constantly running about for castings and meetings.

But whenever I have a weekend to myself, the first thing I do is get away. I love travelling and usually go camping. There are a lot of places in Maharastra and in the South where I love to go.  

I was a professional dancer before I  started acting and ever since then, I haven't been able to focus on my dance. Dancing requires a lot of commitment that I can't give at the moment. But having said that, it is an integral part of me and I haven't given up on it. So whenever I get time, I try to get back to dancing. There are weekends when I go to workshops that my dancer friends host or other dance classes.  

I am also into painting and have been a painter ever since I was a child. I paint as much as I can because that is something that keeps me sane. I can channelise all kinds of energies and emotions into one particular painting.  

I am not a person who likes to go out and party a lot; my weekends are all about engaging myself in different forms of art.  

I was 15 when I started my journey in the film industry and before that, my weekends would be about going out and playing with my friends, watching films or television. Ever since I started acting, watching films has become a part of my work.  

The idea of a weekend has completely changed for me from when I was a kid and after I joined the industry. Nevertheless, I play a lot of board games even now.  

I like long drives and I usually head out to  Mulshi during the weekend. There is a beautiful spot there that overlooks humungous lakes and hills. The  Machan is another place where I go a lot.  

Apart from travelling, reading is another activity that I indulge in. I have never been much of a bookworm when I was growing up but in the last couple of years, I have got really interested in reading and I enjoy it now. Books have become a part of me and I sometimes have a sense of security that even if there is nothing, there are always books.  

Whenever I get the time, I like to be at home because, with the kind of profession I am in, I am constantly on the move and never at home.

Being at home with my two dogs Rudy and Pishu and do my own thing is also very relaxing.  

I love cooking and my favourite cuisines are North Indian and Mexican.

I usually have a bunch of my favourite people coming over and I feed them. It is a trick because they want me to step out but I don't like to go out, so I have to do something to get them home.  

Taking out time for the things I love and spending some 'me' time with my pets completes my weekends.