Rasika Dugal talks about her love for Delhi: I can’t help but eat chhole-kulche whenever I’m here!

Rasika Dugal, who recently shot in Delhi for the third season of her show Delhi Crime as Neeti Singh, says she never misses the delicious delicacies.

She says while posing exclusively for HT City: “The simple answer to whether I can keep my diet in check while I’m here is: no! I just can’t let go of my love for chhole kulche. That cheat meal I want is this. Other than that, I’m very picky about what I eat on film. I don’t want to be slow in filming. But we have been shooting near the Bengali market, which is my favorite Nathu. I can’t not go. That in my book would not be discipline, but sacrilege.” During our shoot, she gets out of the car twice – and both times to eat chhole kulche!

College days

Dugal, a student at Lady Shri Ram College for Women, recalls the impact Delhi had on her: “Delhi is a very nice space, it allowed me to own the label of ‘feminist’ with pride. These were very special years for me while I was in college. Also creatively, my first introduction to a world of talent happened because LSR had extremely talented women. Suddenly it opened up a whole new world to me. I remember I used to stay on vacation even when the college was closed. I would go to the India Habitat Center and watch plays. From Mandi House, I spent a lot of time there too. This city has given me a lot.”

Festive vibes

Dugal, who lives in Mumbai for her acting profession, says Delhi’s weather is different at this time of the year. She quips, “It is most eminent on Delhi roads, especially during Durga Puja, which I recently saw while filming, and Diwali is next. There were pandals, as there is a huge Bengali community in certain areas like CR Park. Bengali cuisine is one of my favorites. I had to choose between going to CR Park and Nathu’s, we couldn’t choose the first one because it was far away. It didn’t work out in terms of timing. But let me tell you it was one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make.”