Travel, shop, repeat: Vivek Mushran

It’s hard to find a weekend to do everything that you want to. So I try to keep my weekends simple and sweet with good music and a nice indulgent conversation.

I get to see my bother and parents only once a year. We go on a 15-day long vacation and have a great time together. I mostly spend my weekends with friends.

Travelling is one of my favourite things to do. I believe that travelling the world is actually a journey within. Thanks to my kind of work, it takes me to places I have never been to before.

Since I mostly hang out with my friends during the weekends, we make plans for weekend getaways. Though this doesn’t happen as often as we would like it to be, we try to make it happen at least once a month. Goa is one of my favourite spots. I have been there a number of times but I can never get enough of it. There’s something about Goa that attracts me. The place, the people — I just love everything about Goa. It’s definitely my happy place.

Whenever I am touring for work, one of my most essential items is a book. As they say, books are indeed our best friends. It makes you think and look at the world differently. Self-help books are my favourite. I am currently reading ‘The Biology of Belief’ by Bruce H Lipton.

Movies are another activity that I try to catch up on my day off. My work schedule does not give me such luxuries very often. But I somehow make time for a movie every week.

As for my love for music, I am very particular about what is on my playlist. I am a huge fan of Coke Studio and MTV Unplugged. A R Rahman is my gateway to South Indian music. I find myself enjoying the songs although I do not understand the language. It’s great that music has no language.

Shopping is another thing I do on weekends. I am not too proud of my taste in clothes, but I somehow manage to pick up a few decent ones for myself. My jeans are usually from Louis Philippe and my shirts are from Zara. I tend to buy the same colours like blue, black, white every time I shop. I have been wearing the same colours all my life.

Being in the film industry, fitness and training is an integral part of my life. I can’t imagine missing a day at the gym. Being fit does not mean I am on diet. I love eating. In fact, our body needs a specific amount of nutrients to be fit. So, I make sure I don’t skip my meal. Masala Dosa is my all-time favourite dish.

Finding a hobby and pastime is indeed a luxury to the people in my field. I try to make the most of it by working out, running, playing tennis and listening to music. Nevertheless, I try to make the most of what I can with the time available. That, to me, is a perfect weekend.

Vivek Mushran started his career in 1991 with ‘Saudagar’. He has since played many roles in TV serials like ‘Son Pari’, ‘Kittie Party’ and ‘Bhaskar Bharti’ to name a few. He has also acted in Bollywood films like ‘Tamasha’, ‘Begum Jaan’ and ‘Veere Di Wedding’. He will soon be playing a wannabe politician in an upcoming web series ‘Banned’ which will release in August.