Radhika Madan: Will celebrate Xmas with my family in Delhi

This Christmas,

Radhika Madan

will be at her home in Delhi. Although she has been living in Mumbai for over a decade now, she says that every ten days, she needs to show her face to her family, even if it’s just for an hour. “I’ll be celebrating

Christmas

with my family in Delhi,” says Radhika, adding, “The best thing happening this Christmas is that my niece and nephew are coming from Toronto, so my brother, bhabhi, and everyone will be in Delhi.

After a long time, we are celebrating Christmas as a family, and I am really looking forward to it. We will celebrate it with lots of food and plum cakes – it’s going to be a perfect Christmas.”

‘I need to show my face to my mother every ten days’

Whenever she gets time off, Delhi is Radhika’s go-to place. She says, “I need to show my face to my mother every ten days; otherwise, she gets fidgety. Even if it’s just for one night, I make sure to come, hug them, and go back. When I went to Bombay for the first time, the city accepted me with open arms... Earlier, I enjoyed the fast-paced life (of Mumbai). Now, I’ve reached a point where I miss and need my family, that thehrav

. I love Bombay, but I need to come back to Delhi time and again.”

‘Home is where my parents are’
What does she mean by thehrav? “When you are away from your family due to work, you are just thinking about work – chasing work, you have movie releases, travelling, and you do not think about other areas of life, like spending time with family and friends or doing nothing. In Bombay, you cannot do nothing; you have to do something every day. The city reminds you every day why you are away from your family. For me, home is where my parents are. (But) As a city, Bombay feels like home now. I just wish I had it all, but who does?”

‘While shooting in Delhi, my tiffin was three times the usual size’
Despite working in the industry for over a decade, last year for the first time

Radhika

filmed in Delhi and stayed at home while shooting. “We shot across Delhi – Rajouri Garden, CP, Paschim Vihar, and Jama Masjid. I gained a lot of weight because every day when I came home, my mom would say, ‘Issko paranthe khilao, chhole puri khilao.’ My tiffin was double or triple the size of what I used to carry in Bombay. Then I decided, ‘Dude, I’m not shooting in Delhi because my parents will make me gain weight.’ It was a month-long shoot, and it was amazing. My production house suggested staying at a hotel because I’d get late, but I couldn’t give up the opportunity to stay at home. Living for work in another city gets lonely. You start valuing your family more. Even if I get to be with them for an hour before the shoot, I won’t give up on that.”