If you don't love yourself, you won't get a good partner

On life in Mumbai and Bollywood:

It is very difficult in Mumbai… It has been a tumultuous journey in Bollywood. I have faced a lot of rejections and have gone through a lot of depressing lows. There are few kind people here. The kinder ones are very kind – but they are very few.

My problem is that I’m uprooted from where I belong (the US) and have come to an alien land. I understand the language (Hindi) but I cannot speak it fluently enough. I don’t get to meet a lot of friends. I long for them. It’s very difficult to come back to an empty room in a city where you know that there are very few people to call your own.

On friends from the industry:

Not really, I haven’t been able to make many friends in Bollywood. People who work for me are my friends…

On people she can have a pyjama party with:

Varun Dhawan, yes. I can’t recall too many friends offhand.

On what she does to combat loneliness:

I talk to myself.

On missing having a boyfriend:

I think having somebody to share your life with is very important. It can be the little things in life like a pair of pink socks you just bought or maybe a piece of sexy lingerie. You need somebody with whom you can share these things. You need somebody with whom you are able to share your most important secrets. A tight hug from that somebody sometimes melts the paradox of time and distance. It vaporises all the loneliness. I don’t have that somebody right now. Maybe that’s the reason why I long to have a group of close friends around me. Yes, a group of friends can take away the loneliness but I have none.

On loving:

I have learned – it’s a very weird thing to say but I will still go ahead and say it – the best love and important love, is self love. It’s important to love yourself. No one will love you better than you will love yourself. If you don’t love yourself then you won’t get a good partner.

Related reading: Can you love someone more than yourself?

On the possible boyfriend’s qualities:

I believe you should never settle for less. You should never try hard to find a boyfriend to get married to. That is what boyfriends are to me, they must be marriage material.

On finding the guy with the right qualities:

I don’t care where he is right now. He is going to come when I love myself and everything is in order properly. You should not hold on to someone. You should become a full individual and you will find a full individual and then you become partners. When that happens God only knows how many good things are in store for you. For now I am focussing and balancing work and seeing my family and friends.

On things a woman should know in a relationship:

Love yourself the most and not the other person. You do so much for the other person and he does nothing for you, then it won’t work for you. At the end of the day, you will be left all alone, no job, and then there will be kids to look after. These are classic tales of loveless marriages. Then you become depressed all the more. If you take care and love yourself first and take a job and save your money on your own and if they leave, you won’t cry so much.

Related reading: We have a loveless, sexless marriage

On the beauty of a woman:

Her personality, her love and the compassion she is able to give. Men have trouble expressing love. Women express better.

On her dream date:

The guy should not be a chauvinist. He should come and pick me up. He should not employ cheesy pickup lines on me and should be able to strike up a conversation. Overall, he should be a great kisser. If he cannot kiss properly, he can forget about another date with me. If these things happen, the rest should flow easily.

On would she rather be loved or have lots of money:

I am a great sucker for love. I don’t care two hoots about money.

On Varun Dhawan:

He is the sweetest person I have met here. He makes you feel important. He makes you laugh. It’s like… a hell of a time… when he is around. He is one of the best friends to have in Bollywood. He is the life of any party.