Exclusive: Ishita Dutta has reservations on doing web shows, says ‘I do have some hesitations when it comes to doing something very bold’

Ishita Dutta, who has proved her mettle in TV and films equally, is excited for her upcoming projects. While she is shooting for Drishyam 2, she also has something in the pipeline with hubby Vatsal Sheth. In between her schedule, ETimes TV got in touch with the actress for a live chat and she was at her candid best. From addressing pregnancy rumours post marriage, to actresses being under constant pressure to look a certain way, to how she keeps the spark alive in their marriage, Ishita addresses it all.

Yes, to a certain extent I do have some hesitations when it comes to doing something very bold. I am very clear about it and it is a personal choice. Some people are comfortable, I am not. For me, choosing projects becomes a little more difficult as the options are limited. Having said that, it is an extremely good platform. I have seen so many shows. Everyone in my family, from my mom to aunt, are hooked on to the shows. Along with TV, my mom has subscriptions for all such platforms. I take the password from her and watch. It is so good to see that so many people are getting an opportunity. Viewers have options to watch, actors are getting more work, producers are getting more projects. The kind of stories we see are changing.

Firstly, touchwood, people who follow me are very very sweet. I don’t normally get trolled a lot. But I do know people personally who get trolled a lot. Kaafi gaand bhi hai. It feels like they spew hatred on social media. That is the downside of it. There’s no law yet to correct that… if a person writes something distasteful it will get deleted or blocked. I think in a few years down the line, such features may come out. For people who get trolled, I would say either you block those people or you should not let it affect you. You can’t really change people. If someone is saying something so mean, imagine how much hatred they have inside their heart. Their negativity has nothing to do with you. It is their negativity, hatred and life struggles that they throw on you. Always remember it and ignore them.

For us, we are still the same what we were 5 years back. Of course, people change. We have become more mature. It’s been a personal growth. What I have seen, people meet, they like each other and over a period of time they want the person to change. You should accept the person with all their flaws. If there are good things, there will be bad things. With Vatsal and I, there are things we don’t like about each other. That’s a personal choice and it doesn’t mean I have to change. Before going to sleep, we resolve all our differences if we fight over something. We try, and we don't carry it the next day. This is what we decided on the first day of our marriage. We have a lot of personal space that we give each other. We have different sets of friends and we don’t force each other to chill with our respective friend circles. These are small things that we keep in mind.

Vatsal speaks funny Bengali. He is picking up words. He understands. For sometime, we were living with my parents and we were conversing a lot in Bengali. So now, if I have to tell anything to my mom, I don’t say it in front of him because he will know everything I am saying. In terms of food, Vatsal still likes his Gujarati khana. He likes Bengali sweets. Day-to-day Bengali food is not that masaledaar. It’s very simple. So now, we have found a middle ground, where there’s a bit of Bengali and Gujarati food.

The last time it happened was, we were doing an ad together, where I played a pregnant lady. That time, the pictures went viral. And immediately after that, I gained a little weight. It was Diwali and we posted a normal Diwali picture. I don’t know how, but when you zoom in, it felt like I have a stomach. Next day, I woke up to see news all over that I am pregnant. Even my friends, who are very close to me, thought I was hiding it. They called me to ask. I had to wear something tight, click a picture and send it to them to prove that I am not pregnant. It is funny. I don’t really get affected. As fans, they always want to know what’s happening in a celebrity’s life. So it’s ok.

It will happen when it has to happen. Right now, with my upcoming projects, I would want to focus on that. But yes, it’s definitely there in future. But I don’t know when.

Not just an actress, but even as a normal person. Just a few days back, there was an actress who gained a bit of weight… I don’t know the name. People were taking a video and commenting on her weight. Weight fluctuates. You eat a bit, you put on some weight… it’s ok to be healthy. It’s ok to not be skinny. It has to be a personal choice. You have to do it for yourself. I maintain my weight because of how I want to look. As a celebrity, you have to be a bit thick-skinned. For everyone out there, I would say fat-shaming, thin-shaming, body shaming is not good. Why comment on anybody’s weight? It’s not cool.

For me, it’s not about what others have to say. It’s how I want to see myself. I like wearing tight dresses, I like wearing crop tops and I like it when I am a little thinner. And I always gain weight. I love my sweets and mangoes. I am having mangoes everyday now. So I just changed the way I style myself. You will see me more in Indian, loose shirts. Again, what I am trying to say is, it’s not for the other person. It’s for me. So I hit the gym to lose weight because I want to look a certain way.

Ishita shared a fun fact from her personal life. Answering a fan question on having perfectly shaped eyebrows, Ishita laughingly said, “Ok, I am obsessed with my eyebrows. I will share a secret, which a lot of people might not even believe me. Girls go to parlour to get threading done. I haven’t gone to a parlour to do threading for the last 6 years. I do it myself. I don’t trust anyone with my eyebrows. But I am very happy that you noticed and said my eyebrows are perfect.”