Sophie Choudry: Some may be more fortunate but everyone is dealing with their own issues (Exclusive)

Sophie Choudry is a name that needs no introduction. A remarkable personality in the industry, Sophie has a large friend circle in both the film and television world. International Business Times, India, got in touch with the actress to talk about the importance of staying connected, mental health and lots more in this exclusive chat.

What are your childhood memories associated with this festival?

To be honest, growing up in London we never celebrated Ganpati. It's a festival I came to know once I moved to Mumbai, and the first time I saw it I was mesmerized. We use to live just off Juhi beach, and I can never forget going to The Marriott and spending an entire afternoon looking out on the beach when the visarjan was happening. It was the most incredible thing and ever since I started doing more Ganpati visits as a lot of my friends keep them. It's such a special time of the year, it's a festival I've associated with ever since I moved to Mumbai.

Have you always been a pro at making desserts? What kind of cooking do you love/enjoy?

Not at all! Although I enjoy eating desserts, I never tried baking anything until this lockdown started. In fact, beyond making pasta and pancakes, which I am good at, I've never baked in my life. It's been interesting exploring this side of me and I find baking kind of therapeutic now. I'm still learning but I've become pretty good at it. I try and make healthy desserts with no gluten and no refined sugar, I've become good at making fresh pesto, Thai curry and Pizza too. I am really enjoying it!

How important is it in today's mentally exhausting time and age to be in touch with others, to have friends, and to connect.

I've said this right from the start of the lockdown, that it's so important to stay in touch with your friends and connect with them. We are fortunate to have social media, video calling, and regular calling facilities that help us keep in touch with our loved ones and share our feeling with them. It's one of the reasons I started my show 'Quranshine With Sophie' at the beginning of the lockdown to connect with my friends and to show everybody that we are all in the same boat. I am aware that some of us are more fortunate than others but everybody is dealing with their personal issues. More than physically it's a lot of mental issues, especially for entertainers because we don't have any clarity on when we can get back to work.

I don't know when can I be on stage again, a lot of my actor friends don't know when they can shoot again or be on set. Although some shoots have started, we hear of people testing positive, and then everybody gets scared. There is a lot of anxiety, there is a lot of stress because the future is unknown, and the only thing that has kept us sane is being connected to our friends and loved ones. I would say encourage each other and let each other know that we are there for them.

What is the one thing that you are missing out the most amid this lockdown and unlock period?

It's obvious we are all missing our friends and loved ones but what I am missing most is that physical touch, like actually being able to give my friends a tight hug. I met one of my best friends, although we were both wearing mask and tested negative, we didn't hug the way we normally would. Things are not the same and we are all being wary and cautious but I miss catching up with a couple of my friends over dinner, having a good laugh, being able to hug each other, etc. As somebody who's on a flight once a week, if not more, I miss traveling, going to different cities, I miss working, being on stage, performing for crowds and I miss my band.

A few members of my band are in Gujrat, where they have a home, they made a music video and sent it to me. When I saw them performing I burst into tears realizing how much I miss them and how much I miss performing with them. I love my work, it's such an integral part of my life, I've always been grateful for it. I think now more than ever all of us will learn not to take anything for granted and we should all have gratitude for everything that comes our way.