3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
‘Rekha is my neighbour': Inside Zoya Akhtar's art-filled, sea-facing Mumbai home
'I grew up on the sea. It's a big part of my life,' Zoya Akhtar confesses at the start of her home tour. True to her words, her Mumbai home has sweeping views of the sea and a warm palette of brown, white, and ochre yellow.
'I think Farhan and I both were instilled with a big sense of history,' she said in the tour for Asian Paints' Where The Heart Is, referencing her brother and fellow filmmaker. 'At the same time, we were just allowed to explore the world.'
Her home, which once belonged to her parents in the 1970s, has seen everything—from poetry readings and film parties to everyday madness. 'All the rooms, the walls resonate. It's seen some crazy times.'
The house's aesthetic reflects Zoya's eclectic sensibility. 'It's got old things mixed with new things,' she notes, having picked up objects and art from her travels. In her words, 'It's my style. But the soul of the house—it's elder.'
Her living room, bathed in natural light, is grounded by neutral walls and energised with pops of colour through textiles and art. 'My walls are all white because I like colour coming in with different elements,' she explains. 'If I want, I can change this room overnight.' A favourite feature? A pair of 1950s aviator chairs made of metal, leather and wood. 'They've got a bit of a bounce when you're on them. They break my room up… funks it up a bit.'
While one room is all about hosting, others are about quietude. 'This couch is my second home,' she laughs, referring to her cosy den filled with DVDs ('I will not get rid of them!') and an enormous tree trunk-turned-table that anchors the space. 'This is the room where a lot of the writing happens… where a lot of the hanky happens… where the watching happens.'
Zoya is unapologetically attached to her books and films. 'I don't care about clothes really… but if you take my books and you don't return them, you're not going to be invited to the next dinner party.'
Her study overflows with cookbooks, photography anthologies, and well-thumbed novels. 'I'm not crazy… I will not learn something, but I do like having them around.' A quote that tells you everything you need to know about her priorities: 'I don't want to lose my books and I don't want to lose my films.'
Upstairs, her bedroom faces the sea—her 'sanity in the city.' She uses it only for sleep, calling it her 'sleep sanctum.' A glowing globe sits by the bed, echoing her childhood fascination. 'I always feel like I can travel the world without leaving my room. It gives you perspective… you're just a speck, a dot.'
And then there's the backyard—a rare green escape in Mumbai's concrete jungle. 'I thank my parents every day for this,' she says, crediting her mother for the lush greenery. 'It's nice to have a little patch of grass in the city.'
