Sushant Digvikar, actor
Favourite play: The Merchant of Venice
I studied Shakespeare in school and have always been fascinated by the Bard. I make it a point to watch most of his plays that have been re-adapted. One such play that I really liked was Vikram Kapadia’s adaptation of The Merchant of Venice. I think he did complete justice to the play. Even by keeping the setting contemporary, he didn’t tamper with the classic.
Trimaan Chandock, owner of Asado The Cocktail Street and Zouk
Favourite restaurant: Chotto Matte in London
One of my most memorable meals was at Chotto Matte in London. The restaurant serves nikkei cuisine, which is a combination of Japanese and Peruvian cuisines. The menu experiments with interesting flavour profiles — for instance, they had something with yellow chilli salsa and teriyaki which complimented each other extremely well. The restaurant also responsibly sources its ingredients, which is another plus. If you’re in London, you need to try to understand why this new-age cuisine is being talked about.
Sherlyn Chopra, an actress
Favourite film: Sophie’s Choice
My all time favourite film is Sophie’s Choice directed by Alan J. Pakula, which stars Meryl Streep. In the film, Meryl has portrayed emotions with such that each time I watch the film I cannot help but feel every bit of trauma and agony that she experiences in the film.
Sachin garg, an author
Favourite book: The Unquiet Land by Barkha Dutt
The book is constantly shifting between being a biography of Barkha Dutt and that of India. For my generation, it’s a brilliant way of better understanding the events of the 1990s and the 2000s, since we were too young to fully comprehend at the time. I love the way the book has been structured in seven parts, and how each part has been done justice to. Also, at a time when feminism has become a buzzword, Ms Dutt’s anecdotes and points of view on being a leading woman journalist in India have more to offer than most other discourses on the topic.
Deepika Singh, actress
Favourite TV show: F.R.I.E.N.D.S
I love watching F.R.I.E.N.D.S because the plotlines have always been real. There is an actually progression to the show. Personally, I like Rachel and Phoebe the most. I miss my school and college friends every time I watch the show. After watching the show, I wish we had a Central Perk in India too.
Naresh Kamath, a guitarist
Favourite song: Molasses by Hiatus Kaiyote
My favourite song would have to be Molasses by Hiatus Kaiyote. A few years ago, a friend of mine sent me a track from their previous album and I was hooked. I instantly purchased the album. I finally got the chance to see them live last year in New York and I was humbled. The four musicians on stage shared such a great synergy — it was sublime. The track Molasses showcases the essence of the band. Hiatus isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. But these are the kinds of bands that carve out a new path in music, which paves the way for countless imitations!
— Compiled by Aarti Bhanushali, Nishtha Kanal and Julie Sam
