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7. Celebrating the Doyenne: Sukhmani Sadana

“For most of history, Anonymous was a woman.” ~ Virginia Woolf. On this International Women’s Day, GlobalSpa recognizes and celebrates the women in the industry as we delve into their success mantra they follow, mistakes that have helped them grow, and of course, their WELLNESS philosophy.

Sukhmani Sadana is an Indian actor and writer, one of the few women in the Bollywood industry who has managed to make a name for herself as a writer and as an actor simultaneously. While she has written films for Netflix, Amazon, Bollywood Films, Web Series, Ads etc, at the same time she also acted in many web series herself.

What is your wellness philosophy?

Well, for me, wellness is not just about physical, but emotional and spiritual contentment as well. And as much as I feel like we need to invest in our bodies to stay fit and look good, I think it's equally important for us to invest in our spiritual and emotional journey as well. I make sure I meditate every day. Sometimes I fail and there are many times when I can't connect because I'm preoccupied in my mind and have too many thoughts and find it very hard to meditate. But on most days I manage to meditate for about 20 minutes and the moment I open my eyes, I feel like it's a brand new day and any baggage, emotions, stress that I had before I started, with my meditation is all gone. I think that's something that we should all include in our routine. It's essential. Apart from that, emotionally, as well. I'm a libran. And we have a tendency to keep everything inside and so a lot of things pent up. I have consciously made an effort for the progress of my wellness so I communicate with people. If I have any issue, that's bothering me at work, with family or friends, I take the initiative to have that conversation and it's so funny, you'll be surprised to know how people take everything so well at the receiving end and are so understanding. And yes of course goes without saying for beauty and fitness, I do a lot; I go to the gym, I try to work out at least four times a week if not more, and I love my six to seven hours of sleep. I take lots of green vegetables, fruits. I try to drink less and I’m not a smoker. Eventually, it’s my body and it’s going to show on me. So I'm really not doing anyone a favor.

Your success mantra?

I don't have a success mantra. Yes, one thing I do for sure is when work is coming my way, I try to not say no because I'm a freelancer and I like to make the most of whatever's coming my way. There are so many who are less privileged. I don't think any work is small or big. So, whatever work comes my way- if I enjoy it, I go ahead. Sometimes I charge more, sometimes less, but I respect offers. My another mantra for success is to not give up. You know good things don’t come to you easily. We all have achieved our success after years of struggling and hustling and it seems like it'll never happen, but it really does. Be honest, and true to yourself, keep giving your best. If your work is good, you’re hardworking, there is luck by your side, there’s God’s grace, you're a good human with good. Intentions - chances are you will be successful. Time, of course, is a relative period but it comes to you. Your mind is a very strong tool and if you control it, the world is yours. The third success mantra that I use for success is giving your body and mind a break when you feel saturated. Very often I find myself tired with work and I stop at that point because I know that anything I'll do beyond this will not be up to my best ability and standard. And for me quality is everything. So whenever you find yourself too consumed, just stop, and pause. Take a break for 2-3 days. Forget about everything. Read books, watch dumb movies. Just don't be productive. You don't want to work out. Don't work out. You want to sleep for 10 hours? Sleep. Listen to your mind and give it the holiday it needs. And after that, when you return- see how your motivation and productivity doubles.

A lesson you learned from making a mistake?

Well, I made tons of mistakes and I'm pretty sure that I will make in the future as well. But honestly, I don't see mistakes as regrets. Of course, many times I wish I did few things differently- but regret is a negative word, and there’s no space for negativity in life. We must try to flip the story. From all the mistakes I made before- today I am smarter, wiser, more mature, more sensible. It's only because I made those mistakes. And I know now- what not to do. So mistakes are great learnings. Make them. Learn from them. Like Mark Zuckerberg famously said, 'The biggest risk is not taking any risk'.

What has been your biggest pride as a doyenne?

I hope you know how amazing it is to be born as a woman. That’s the beauty of womanhood. It unravels to you in phases. We discover ourselves our entire lives. First as a kid, then as a woman. Every year this flower blossoms more and more and it only gets more beautiful as it ages. We are so powerful within. Our bandwidth to deal with pain is immense. Our understanding of people's emotions and sensitivity is vast. Our ability to multitask is commendable. We bring life to this world. We are successful today, appreciated and loved. It’s such a beautiful time to be alive where men respect women, and women respect men. Happy women's day to all of you.

What has been your biggest pride as a doyenne?

I hate it when people assume that an actress cannot be smart, intelligent or creative and a girl who is a writer cannot be presentable. I always wanted to break this stereotypical thought process and I have consciously made an effort to show to the world that I can look good, dress well, be stylish, and still be an intelligent, well informed, knowledgeable woman. Who said that writers only carry jholas. I carry a Chanel ;) and who said actors can’t be creative? I can name a 100. Your look has nothing to do with your brains. Girls like and also write films like Jogi on the 1984 Riots and contribute to films like rocketry about scientists NASA and yet win an award for most stylish icon in the same year. Big deal! I wanted to break people's thought process that any girl who's wearing a crop top doesn't have to be dumb. I can wear heels and still write a film based on partitions or war. And I think I've made a lot of people zip up on that comment they used to make. So yeah, I'm proud of the fact that I can be an actor and a writer. You all can do it. So don't let anyone judge the book by its cover. You are unique. Embrace your uniqueness.