By Jilawatan

Ayesha Takia has triumphed over the cult of celebrity. The eager girl-next-door, at what could’ve been the height of her career, post her glam role in Prabhudeva’s Wanted (2008) pulled a Houdini on Bollywood.
After getting married at 23 to long-time beau and South Bombay restauteur, Farhan Azmi, Takia took a break from cinema. As eager fans get ready to welcome back the young bride with her Friday release, Paathshaala, we caught up with her to find out about her new identity. There’s hospitality and fashion in her kitty. Movies have taken a backseat for now, as she unwinds in the glow of the setting sun on the terrace of Farhan Azmi’s Colaba lounge, Koyla.
Your movie Paathshaala is releasing this week. Is this your comeback?
I shot this movie much before I got married. It’s a fantastic script made by my good friends, Ahmed and Shaira Khan. It’s also a very relevant script because it touches topics like peer pressure and basic educational pressure. Kids today have unnecessary ambitions and are committing suicide due to reality shows. I did the movie because of these issues. But as far as my comeback is concerned, I never quit Bollywood in the first place!
But you disappeared at the height of your career after Wanted released?
You know lot of people told me that I was marrying Farhan at a bad time. Wanted was about to release and it did become the biggest hit of my career. But I am a person who follows her gut instinct. I just knew I was ready to marry Farhan and I knew it would change things. But I also didn’t want to do the glam roles anymore. I took a break and it put things in order. Now I am open to doing only one or two meaningful movies a year.
Do you have any more movies lined up?
Well, I do have Aap Ke Liye Hai Hum, directed by Revathy with Jaya Bachchan. Unfortunately, it’s stalled for the moment. But like I said, I’m open to meaningful cinema. I don’t want to stand in the back of a scene and look pretty. I want to act.
Who are your role models?
My family. I am a complete family person. Farhan and my mother Farida, are just some of the people who have impacted my life in a major way. They are with me all the time and life without them is non-existent. I learn from people in my proximity. If I see someone who is emotional, I want to imbibe that. Because I have been criticised for being too practical and unemotional.
Movies aside, what else are you dabbling in?
I’m glad you asked. I am so happy I took this break from movies. Farhan and I are working on so many projects. We have become business partners and are currently designing this boutique hotel in Goa called Basilico House. We’re just taking the Basilico brand further. I have been involved in the designing of the hotel and I have all these ideas about the hospitality of the hotel. We are also setting up chic coffee shops across Mumbai called Chai Coffee and the first one will open up in Andheri in the next six months. I have been sitting in boardroom meetings and breaking my head over interiors and design decisions. It’s very exciting.
How did you get interested in business vis-à-vis something creative like acting?
I think actors should keep their minds vigilant and open all the time. You should use the opportunities from the name you’ve created to do many other things, besides acting. Heroes have a longer shelf life than actresses do. At the end of the day, actresses make less money and have a smaller share of the limelight. I always knew I wanted to do things other than acting. With Farhan, it just seemed natural.

How do you feel about the school of thought that post marriage, an actress doesn’t get work?
I think in this day and age, if someone thinks they can get away with this excuse, they are fooling themselves. Maybe choices get limited, but those limits are self-imposed. Personally, I discovered fashion and hospitality.
So is fashion also something on your mind?
Well, I am also doing this fashion line with my mother, Farida. I still don’t have a name for it. But I am willing to build a brand that will bring unique apparel and accessories to people. The idea is expression and novelty.
Do you feel you have transitioned from an actor to a businesswoman?
I think I am ready for the change. Ever since I was a little girl, all I have wanted to do was act. Movies happened and life was set. After I got married, my eyes opened and I found myself translating the same passion into the hotel line. I truly feel that I’ve grown up, which is why I want to do movies that I am aiming for.
Any unfulfilled dreams left?
I want to take brand Ayesha forward, and yes, the sky is the limit.