Sonali Bendre

As a contemporary Indian woman who has been handling so many things, I think she can be a very strong woman, a very strong working woman. We need more and more working women in our country.

Once you are a parent, everything takes a back seat. It ceases to be a role. It is a reality. Once I had Ranveer, I realised that I was cracking under the pressure and that I cannot be a superwoman. I had to open myself to learning.

Until Ranveer was born in August 2005, three years into our marriage, I was working in Hindi or South Indian films. After marriage, I began learning how to run a house. My mother wanted to teach me the basics, but I was never home. So when my mother-in-law taught me chores, it was hard to adjust.

Time management is surely the most critical aspect of acing multiple arenas: home, work, and family.

Not many people know that I was one of the first few Indian actors to do a television show. I did the dance show 'Kya Masti Kya Dhoom' when I was at the peak of my career.

I have never planned my career. I never wanted to be an actress. Films were an instinctive step, just like modelling and television.

I have endorsed every hair product in my career. Looks have been my bread, butter, jam. Looks are important in our society.

My writing did turn out to be quite intact, as it has all my experiences gathered at one place.

Well-settled is just a state of mind. I don't think I'm in that state. I look for challenges every day. Bringing up my child, looking after my house is also a challenge.

For a movie actor, the biggest challenge on TV is the number of close-up shots.

My mother has done a great job with her kids. The daily struggle of raising three daughters with a very limited income yet seeing to it that they get a good upbringing, giving her daughters wings even after not being so educated - that person is my hero.

The parenting books didn't work for me; I got my parenting lessons from everything but the books! And it was about figuring things out. So every time I had a thought, I would put down my conclusions and thoughts.