Vinta Nanda,
Managing Director, Tracinema

By Darshana.D.



The ambience of the office located at Versova where we meet Vinta Nanda is just like her. Absolutely unpretentious. Comfortably dressed in a T-shirt with a casual jacket, jeans and functional sandals, she greets us warmly. She wears a genuine smile, short hair and spectacles - in all Nanda looks like a woman who believes in being comfortable in her own skin. And to add to her simplistic but individualistic style, is a tattoo on her arm which as she tells us is a Chinese symbol for a man in joyous abandon.

As we settle down for a short tête-à-tête, Nanda says, "I dress up casually even on formal occasions as I feel comfortable that way. Earlier, I used to wear salwar kameez and saris but that was when I was thinner. As a woman, jewellery, handbags or sandals do not fascinate me. In fact, for the last fifteen years, I only wear this bangle made of Panchdhatu (which is a mixture of five metals) given to me by my mother to bring good luck. And, I never touch gold since I often lose gold ornaments," says Nanda showing the thick band around her wrist.

The elaichi-flavoured tea arrives. In a rather relaxed mood, Nanda lights up a cigarette and in the same breath tells us that she smokes about 20 to 30 cigarettes a day but does not have much of tea or coffee. We don't know whether it was the tea or the topics close to her heart that perks her to reveal more of herself.
"I know, I am overweight. That is because I am quite lazy and do not exercise. Also, my work does not allow me much time to workout really. Also, it's not that I am a great foodie; in fact I eat like a sparrow and also stick to the basics. It's mostly Indian food with spicy curries and chicken cooked by my cook is what I savour day after day."


Life's a Party
Nanda loves to work hard and party harder. She loves to go pub hopping and grooving through the night with her close group of friends. "I like to listen to contemporary music like Hip-Hop, Jazz, Techno and Trance. I also love to make new friends and socialise," says the pub hopper whose favourite hangouts are Zenzi, Sejo and Sports- Bar in Mumbai. "I don't really like to dine out often. If I do, then it's mostly for the ambience and company than the food. I like to go to Indigo, Olive, Royal China and Urban Tadka in Mumbai."

I often push myself to keep doing different things in Life
Nanda tells us that she's a typical Leo who feels that time is running out. She says, "throughout the day, I always have three parallel tracks running in my mind. That's why I push myself to keep doing different things all the time - be it reading, catching up on information, travelling or doing up my house," she says. Though she enjoys going abroad, the wanderer in her comes alive when she takes to the road. "At least twice a year I get out for about 12 to 15 days with friends in my Tata Safari to explore the country. I also love to travel by train as it really unwinds me. Often my work takes me to Europe and other countries. I experience a rather mystical connection with France where I invariably land up for some work, at least once a year."

I love to read before I go to sleep
"I have about 50 books around my bed as I like to read to unwind before going to sleep. I like to read more than one book at a time, so I can switch from one to another depending on my mood," says the avid reader who always checks out book reviews before buying a book. She also likes to go through all kinds of magazines and newspapers as and when time permits her. 'The last song of dusk,' a book by Sidharth Dhanarajgir is what has impressed her lately."

Now-a-days, I am also into autobiographies. I quite enjoyed reading the autobiography of Jimi Hendrix, Ghenghis Khan and V Shantaram," she adds. She is also a very active netizen. "I like to browse through the news, books and film festival sites to know about the latest on the scene."

The books and the net keep her up till two in the morning. "I literally have to struggle to get out of bed the next day. Once up at around nine I remain preoccupied as I always have three parallel tracks running in my mind."

Nanda's new den with a hi-end audio-video
However, talking about her house and its interiors relaxes her. Besides working on her television scripts, her house is where she likes to experiment with her creativity. Her two bedroom apartment at Oshiwara Andheri (a suburb in northern Mumbai) is currently under renovation. "I am planning a modern set-up with minimalist furniture and a hi-end audio-video system," says Nanda enthusiastically who earlier had her house done up in an ethnic decor that reflected her personality. The knick-knacks picked up from all over the world adorn the drawing room. "I love shopping for the house, be it from Chor Bazaar or at the Good Earth," she says.
What about gizmos? "Yes. I like to change my mobile handset very often," concludes the producer,director and writer who can't do without her laptop when she is travelling.



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