Ever wondered what Indian film director and screenwriter Zoya Akhtar’s house must be like? She has given us a peek in a Youtube series.
Zoya’s movies, all catering to the uber rich, and their lifestyle pangs, have always hit us deep and we expected her house to be a reflection of luxury and wealth. But turns out, it is quite eclectic and fairly simple!
Her sea-facing breezy home has been owned by her parents since 1970s, sits in the middle of Bandra, the popular locality of Mumbai. She admits, ‘I grew up on the sea, it’s a big part of my life and what I am. This house has got a lot of history, which all the rooms and walls resonate. And it’s seen some crazy times.’
According to Akhtar, her house has a perfect mix of old and new, but she maintains that the soul of the house is inherited. Walking through the door, you end up in a spacious living room, with lounge area, and a huge dining table.
The director loves to keep her walls blank until it feels right and most of her house is painted in white. She firmly believes in colour coming in from different elements, mostly art and textile decorations on the wall.
Also, every furniture in the house has a specific purpose. The 1950s metal, leather aviated chairs sitting in the living room breaks that formal monotony and bring in a funk element to the look.
After taking a little walking up in a wooden staircase, we find Zoya’s comfort zone. The airy room features comfortable olive couch with a wooden centre table in between, which is carved out of a tree trunk. ‘This is the room where a lot of writing happened,’ she beams.
Guess what is the director/writer’s favourite spot? Well, obviously, the study room. As she ushers in another cosy space, we see an extensive book collection. Her collection of readables is spread across genre, from literature, to photography, to some cookbooks. Zoya doesn’t mind lending you some of her books, if you fail to return them, you are off her dinner guest list forever.
Then we move on to her sea facing bedroom, which in her words is ‘her sanity in the city’, is featuring a wooden bed with white sheets, complete a world map hanging in the wall. ‘The sea outside my bedroom window takes me to a different world altogether. And the huge world map on the wall inspires me to plan my travels,’ Zoya reveals.
Coming to the final part of her humble abode is her garden outside – the official party zone, filled with wooden benches and seating area. On other days, the green patch of grass becomes her very own palace of solitude, away from the hustle-bustle of busy life.
