Riya Sen

Movie interview: Riya sen
Riya gets personal

FAMILY

Home for me is: the place I can be myself. No make-up, no pretending. Just good old home.

I relax at home by: watching television, eating and sleeping. I love sleeping. I also relax by renting DVDs and staying glued to the television set all day. Recently I was unwell and advised bed-rest for three weeks. I probably watched more than fifty films on DVD during this time.

Favorite way of spending time with my family: Holidaying at exotic destinations across the world. Recently my elder sister was shooting in Canada, so my parents and me packed our bags and went to see her there. When she was done, the four of us visited the US together.

Favorite family getaway: Kolkata. I grew up there and many of my friends are still there but I don’t visit as often as I’d like to. When the family wants to be together for a weekend or a few days, we all head for Kolkata. I love Kolkata the most because of the food, the junk food – especially the puchkas.

I love my family because: at the end of the day they are the ones I turn to. Someone said, “You can choose your friends, but not your family.” I could never have a better family than I’ve been blessed with.

One family moment I will never forget: The rare occasions when we sit down to eat together. When we all assemble in the same city and sit down for lunch. It’s always noisy and we’re all trying to talk at the same time… Those are the moments I’ll always cherish.

DRESSING UP

I like to dress up in: a casual pair of jeans and tee shirts. I’m a very casual kind of girl. I like to be comfortable and not over-dressed.

Accessories to go with the outfit: Just my watch and my ring. Minimalist is best.

Favorite brands: I usually go by what I’m comfortable in. I don’t go by brands.

Favorite fashion designers: none. I don’t care so much for fancy names and labels. Comfort is what matters the most.

The best-dressed personality is: Madonna. She keeps changing her style and reinventing herself. I can’t think of anyone more stylish than Madonna. She carries off even the gaudiest clothes with class.

FOOD, HEALTH, FITNESS:

Diet to me is: a strange concept. I don’t diet. I never have. I eat everything and anytime I want to. Luckily for me, my metabolism is such that I tend not to put on too much weight.

I can’t resist: food! I just eat whatever I want to. I put no restrictions on myself.

My health regime: I regularly go to the gym. I do stretching exercises, I look after my hair and my skin, and lots of sleep also helps.

What makes my skin glow: I make sure that every morning, I take a glass of warm water with lemon. By doing this, I keep my body weight in control. This mixture of water and lemon brings glow on my face and skin and makes me look glamorous and sexy.

After a hectic day, I unwind by: sleeping. Believe me, nothing works as well as sleep does.

FASHION & SHOPPING

My fashion motto: Just be yourself. Be natural. Beauty is God-given; so don’t try to change it.

My dream dress: none. I want to look good in anything that I wear.

Among celebrities, the trendsetters are: Madonna, for one. None among Indians.

In Mumbai, I shop at: I try not to shop in Mumbai. I usually get my clothes designed. I shop abroad when I go on holiday.

MODELING & FILMS:

Carrying on the family legacy is: is a great feeling. Not everyone is born into a film family and it feels nice to know that people have loved my mother and my grandmother and now expect my sister and me to carry on the legacy.

We discuss films at home: only sometimes. It’s not like we eat and breathe films. We’re a normal, everyday family. We talk about clothes, boys and movies – not necessarily in that order, though.

Sibling rivalry: none. I bond with my sister naturally. We don’t vie for the same roles. In fact, we are each other’s best friend.

My dream role: Julia Roberts’ in My Best Friend’s Wedding, and Nicole Kidman’s roles in most of her movies. She’s a fantastic actress and makes all her roles memorable and special.

FESTIVAL TIME:

Festivals are a time for: taking a break from work. We usually stay at home during holidays.
What I like most about festivals: that they are holidays! That I don’t have to work on those days.

I’m celebrating the coming festive season by: traveling across the country on brand promotions and appearances during Navratri. But when it comes to Diwali, I prefer to stay home because I’m scared of firecrackers.

PARTING SHOT
My Mr Perfect should be: Intelligent, good-looking, extremely loyal and faithful. He should stand out in a crowd. And he has to be desirable.

My sign-off line is: Live and let live. Take each day as it comes.

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Riya's fitness mantra

My Workout Regimen:

I’m not a manical gym person. I only do a lot of spinning and sometimes, I can I do one-and-a-half or two hours of that if I am free.

I do it at least three or four times. I drink a lot of water only when I am working out and I have a lot of vitamin C and cod liver oil capsules after a workout. After exercising, I oil my hair regularly with almond, coconut, olive and castor oil.

This relaxes me and helps me to cool down. I started spinning three years back. At times when I am really busy, I can’t continue with my light weights. So, if I have to exercise, I go to my spin classes. In one class, you lose 800 calories. I feel quite fresh after that and get really good sleep. You feel much lighter. There are certain timings for it. I do it the evenings. I make sure that I remove my makeup really well after a shoot or when I go out and wash my face three four times a day.

I go by my own body type when it comes to fasting, which means that I would not follow some general advice or rule of thumb.

My Daily Diet:

I don’t think you have to starve yourself or eat raw salads everyday to be healthy. I don’t have a strict diet plan. My parents never set foot into a gym, but were healthy because they had a combination of good genes and a healthy lifestyle.

I eat everything under the sun, and manage to do so as I control the amounts I eat but I avoid binge eating. After each meal, I remember to have an antioxidant or camomile and other herbal. I don’t really eat breakfast. But if I do, it’s probably something like an egg on toast.

My Happiness Quotient:
Be happy! I believe in eating anything and everything under the sun without any hassles. That keeps me happy. I think it’s a myth that if you only eat fruits, minerals and vitamins, you'll automatically glow.

A lot of it has got to do with how your body reacts to stuff you eat. A person can have half a bar of chocolate and develop a whitehead while the next person can have a butter chicken, biryani and a bar of chocolate after that and have perfectly clear skin! There is no list of do’s and dont’s that I follow to keep me happy
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Riya Sen: "I can't diet! As soon as I think of dieting I start thinking of chocolates. But I'm into controlled eating.

Every time I'm hungry during the day I eat . But I control the quantity. I'm not over-ambitious about my workouts.

I've never had a really major weight problem. I hate the over-worked-out look in women. I believe Indian woman look best when they're slightly voluptuous.I love to swim, do light-weights, attend dance classes and I do spinning.