Check the slideshow above I have admired her as the sprightly and arrogant Priya in Banegi Apni Baat, as the sober and matured teacherji of Balika Vadhu and all the characters she has played on big and small screen in between. It’s the versatile and courteous Sadiya Siddiqui I had dinner with, at Urban Tadka, Saki Naka. She appeared elegant in a bright salwar kameez sporting contrasting colors of pink salwar, purple kurta and lime green dupatta. I was pleasantly surprised to know Sadiya is a gourmet and checks out restaurants in the city besides having visited Urban Tadka’s other outlet quite often. Straightaway, we place the order for starters with Shikanji, here are the gourmet’s comments- “Tandoori Mushroom is tasty, Mutton Seekh Kebab is well-marinated while Chilli Soya took a beating as it was too deep fried and hard – killing the taste of soya.” The pretty actor is adept at culinary skills and her choicest preparation is grilled mushroom with cheese. “I love camping and find preparing food with limited resources very tricky and enjoy it as much,” observes Sadiya. Throwing light on her present career status, Sadiya says, “I am doing theatre now- a play called Mahua with Rajit Kapoor, Two to Tango Three to Jive with Saurabh Shukla and Vikram Kapadia’s Bombay Talkies.” She was always interested in acting and used to take part in college dramatics. As for television, “Am open to television serials, as long as my role is challenging, I don’t mind doing any. I have just completed a Hindi feature film called Kill The Rapist directed by Sanjay Chehl,” she says adding further, “It is a psycho thriller with three girls and one guy in a house and has each one’s past catching up.” She has also directed a short film I Love You. “But whatever I try to do, I realize I end up really learning acting.” By now our main course dishes arrive and we dissect them Rarrha meat with Kheema, Kukkad Masala, Malai Kofta Curry, Aloo Mutter with crisp Tandoori rotis. The actor relishes the Kheema and finds the chicken in Kukkad Masala was done to perfection. My Kofta was quite heavy with cashew paste but Aloo Mutter was flavorsome and tempting. Speaking on paranormal experiences, Sadiya reveals some good ones she has experienced, “Every morning I get up at 5am to pray. If by some chance I am on my way to oversleeping, there is something that consistently wakes me up.” Narrating an interesting incident, she says, “One day the radio went on by itself. I got up but it was switched off. I went to sleep and after some time it started again. This time I got up and unplugged it from the socket. Still after sometime I could hear it playing a song but when I got up there was no sound. By now it was nearing 5am and I heard the Azan (prayer at the mosque). So I too got ready to say my early morning prayers. Invariably something or the other happens to wake me up for the prayers.” She loves adventure and has completed a course in scuba diving, done bungee jumping and mostly indulges in self-drive while holidaying abroad. Next on her agenda is to explore South Africa in its entire wilderness. Talking about safety of women in our country, she wishes every mom would teach her son to respect women. For sweet nothings, we delve into Jalebis with Rabdi, Phirni garnished with almond and pista slivers and yummy Gajar ka Halwa and all of them score high on our review. After posing for photographs with Operations Manager Rizwan Rakhanji and his team, we take each other’s leave while the actor with pleasing manners promises to invite me for her plays! Rapid fire Q’s with Sadiya Siddiqui Fave cuisine: Indian or steamed Are you a foodie? Yes but I am particular about what goes in…I don’t swallow anything. (In the course of our dinner I discovered she is actually a gourmet) A junk food and a sweet dish you can’t resist: Pani puri and dahi batata puri. As for sweets, I like all except rossogolla and peta (shocker…first time I met someone who doesn’t like the Bengali sweet) Are you a shopaholic? I am a prudent shopper. Are you brand conscious? No….but I am very particular about the quality and stitches. A reality show you would love to do… Khatron ke Khiladi or a dance show. Would you be ok with Bigg Boss? Yes…I wouldn’t mind being in Bigg Boss House Single or dating? Single (why do I feel there is some kind of hesitation???) A quality your man should possess… Compassion A habit you wish to kick… I keep pushing myself too much without quitting A die-hard habit… I am a cleanliness freak A rumour that circulated about you… That I got married… You hate… Liars You are paranoid about… My Mom’s safety (she does not keep well, I understand) Any paranormal experiences… Yes..but a good one (check out the article for more on this) Your fitness secret….. Iyengar Yoga and dance (she has learnt Kathak) Gizmo freak? Not at all…even I use the cell phone to just send/receive messages and make/receive calls. Your dream destination… South Africa You invest in… Friendships A deterrent punishment for women offenders… Capital punishment!