The college hall burst into laughter when Bollywood movie director, Gauri Shinde, said, “Don’t think of yourself as a woman, you’ll not notice the men!” This was in response to a question from the crowd on her being a woman director.
Gauri, who directed English Vinglish and Dear Zindagi, was delivering a motivational lecture on 'Breaking Through: Beyond the Glass Ceiling' at Carmel College of Arts, Science and Commerce for Women, at Nuvem in South Goa.
Students asked her about her career choices and breaking stereotypes in life, and she answered with aplomb.
'I LOVE THE FRIENDLY NEIGHBOURS'
After spending time with fans and answering their questions, she took a few moments to talk to GT Digital about her love for Goa and how she loves to come back here to de-stress.
“I love Goa, and I used to stay in Parra (North Goa). Yeah, that was my favourite place. I used to stay in a place run by a French lady, but it shut down post-COVID-19," she says with sadness as she recalls her time in Goa.
"It's not by the seaside, and there were just three rooms. I'm not someone who likes to stay near the beach – even in Bombay (Mumbai). I don't want, and never wanted a sea-facing apartment,” she shares.
It's not by the seaside, and there were just three rooms. I'm not someone who likes to stay near the beach – even in Bombay (Mumbai). I don't want, and never wanted, a sea-facing apartment.
Gauri Shinde, director of the movie, 'English Vinglish'
Ask her about shifting to Goa, and she says she has thought about it, but can't settle down here completely.
“I love my work too much. But I can do half Goa, half Bombay (Mumbai). Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, many Mumbaikars shifted here and I feel like I'm in Bandra,” points out Gauri and laughs as she wraps her long curly hair in a bun, and gets comfortable on a wooden stool in the college common area.
Talking about Goa being therapeutic, she says that Mumbai is generally associated with professional life, and though everyone tries to do whatever they find therapeutic, in the film Dear Zindagi, she wanted to show that even for a young girl, it is important to be out of that competitive space.
DEAR ZINDAGI SHOWS THE THERAPEUTIC SIDE OF GOA
“I think Goa is therapeutic, isn’t it? I mean, you land here, and everything is amazing. When you get out of the flight, there's something in the air. This is probably because we live in Bombay (Mumbai), and we all live in a very chaotic kind of environment," she observes.
"I'm not complaining about it because that's where films are made,” says Gauri, as she pauses to nibble on some dried fruit, and then adds, “And what better place to have therapy, than in a place that physically also feels so therapeutic?”
While South Goa is her favourite part of Goa, she loves the food served in North Goa’s Vinayak and Avo’s Kitchen.
THALI, HER GO-TO FOOD IN GOA
While South Goa is her favourite part of Goa, she loves the food served in North Goa’s Vinayak and Avo’s Kitchen.
“Last time, I ate the lovely Chonak Thali at Vinayak. I like to go to bars run by women sitting at the bar counter. You feel safest in a bar run by a woman. It's amazing," she says.
"I like to go to small places to eat because Goa is never about Butter Chicken,” concludes Gauri, as she walks away with her bowl of dried fruits to grab a few photos and selfies with the waiting students.
