Eating Out

Busaba. Nikhil Chibb’s rocking new Vietnamese and Burmese restaurant. Entering thelarge, rust-coloured iron door, I feel I’m in hometown Goa. The atmosphere. Theattitude. The ambience. All that’s missing is the beach. Ayesha Dharker, my co-starfor lunch, is a foodie, like me. “I won’t starve like Ally McBeal,” sheinsists. “I will lose weight if the role demands it. But otherwise this is me.”

Ayesha’s back in Mumbai after two years to record the radio version of A SuitableBoy. She’s been on the road for that long. Doing the three things she loves the most.Acting, acting and acting. She’s shot Ismail Merchant’s Mystic Masseur.She’s performed in The Ramayana at London’s National Theatre. Once a childprodigy, she’s now a grown-up star. A French film at nine. An Italian one at 10. Cityof Joy at 13. And The Terrorist at 19. She’s worked with top directors. SantoshSivan. Sai Paranjape. Roland Joffe. Ismail Merchant. And George Lucas. Yes, the Star Warsdude. And she’s just come out of a workshop with Andrew Lloyd Webber. Clearly, shethinks the world of Sivan, talks of there being a method to his madness.
And then the veg momos arrive. Conversation packs up for the moment. We eat in noisysilence. Then we study the menu. She chooses the Thai Green Curry with rice; I ask for theRed Curry with chicken and noodles.

She talks of things she refuses to do. “I won’t run around trees. And Iwon’t do sex scenes!” Cool. She’s delighted at the success of Indiandirectors on the international scene. She loved Mira Nair’s A Monsoon Wedding.“You know, Rahul, it’s a joy that such wonderful Indian films are being made. Wenow have an Indian tent at foreign festivals.” It’s time for dessert.Busaba’s Chocolate Mousse Cake has a huge reputation. We order one. It is genuinelyto die for.

Right, so we have gorged and gassed for two hours. She asks me when I’m going todo a film. She promises to act for me. Seems like good enough motivation.