Divya Seth Shah, Actor

“I was always on a diet and starved myself to become slim”

What career options did you have at 22?

I was an actor working with theatre groups in Delhi. We ate, slept and breathed acting. We didn’t make much money but we were driven and passionate.

What was your bank balance?

I had an account at Grindlays Bank in

Delhi, with ₹5,000 in it.

What was your frame of mind at that age?

I was intense, positive, confident and quite opinionated (still am!). I was in a rush to get on with life.

Who were your major influences then?

My mother, actress Sushma Seth, and naani. The books I read, films I watched, my friends, theatre colleagues and directors also shaped my thoughts.

What was your equation with your family?

I was always close to my family. We lived together, though my brother Kavi and bhabhi Geetika had moved to Kolkatta. I shared a room with my sister, Priya. What was your romantic status?

I wore my heart on my sleeve

“BEING PART OF HUM LOG AND ITS EXPLOSIVE POPULARITY WAS LIFE-ALTERING” —DIVYA SETH SHAH

What was your fashion sense then?

Not bad but it wasn’t great either! Janpath and Sarojini Nagar ruled my wardrobe.

Your fitness quotient?

I was perpetually on a diet. I starved myself to become slim; coffee and yoga were my crutches.

Your most prized possession?

Love and my dog, Tippy.

Your favourite sport?

I wasn’t very athletic, but I enjoyed swimming.

Which actors were ruling Bollywood in that period?

Always and forever Mr Amitabh Bachchan.

Any incident from that time that is etched in your mind?

Being part of Hum Log and its explosive popularity was life-altering.

A flaw of yours that bothered you then?

I took everything personally! Even if that wasn’t the intention of the other person.

One thing you did that was immature?

I reacted very emotionally to what was a professional move for someone. I didn’t speak to the person for years!

With sister Priya, brother Kavi, mother (and actress) Sushma Seth and father Dhruv Seth, at her brother’s wedding

Posing while having a quick snack during her first trip to the US

In a silver skirt-top on her first visit to Mumbai

Dancing at a dinner party as a part of her brother Kavi’s wedding festivities

Divya during her first visit to Disney World

THEN AND NOW Divya Seth Shah at 22 (top) and at 55 (above)

Before an enactment of the play Rough Crossing at Kamani theatre in Delhi (right); Heading to eat parathas from a roadside dhaba at Moolchand after the showcase of a play which also featured Shah Rukh Khan