Interview: Fatima Sana Shaikh talks about her love for mangoes; see exclusive pics!

People look forward to this time of the year when the king of fruits – mango – makes its presence felt. Fatima Sana Shaikh is one of those who cannot get enough of the delightful aam. “I can have three of them in one go,” she says, talking to us about her favourite fruit during an exclusive shoot with Bombay Times.

Venue Courtesy: Luuma House, Mumbai
She shares, “I am obsessed with mangoes.I think it is the tastiest fruit in the world. There are so many different variants. I love Alphonso (Haapus), Totapuri and Pairi. I am sure each one of us has a memory attached to this fruit phir woh chahe ped par chadke aam todkar khana ho or fighting for that last mango in the house, which would happen often between my brother and me (laughs). Today, we get mangoes in cardboard boxes, but earlier, they would be brought home in a wooden peti with hay in it. I would be excited to sift through the hay to find the
perfect mango.”

Venue Courtesy: Luuma House, Mumbai
‘Enjoying mangoes with friends was like a bonding activity’
The Dangal actress and her friends would enjoy mangoes together. “We would soak them in water and keep them in the fridge to chill, phir saare bachche ek saath milke khaate the. It was almost like a bonding activity. Par aaj kal yeh sab dekhne nahi milta. Everybody is so occupied and there are so many distractions that kids don’t indulge in all these things anymore.”

‘Plucking kairis from a tree is one of my fondest childhood memories’
Going into flashback mode, Fatima says, “I think there’s that one mango tree in many localities. I remember, as kids, we would come together and try to pluck the raw mangoes with a stick (laughs) and often fail. Eventually, some helpful uncle would step in and help us, and we would all run to collect the kairis. That’s one of my fondest childhood memories. Bass us kairi ko kaato, sprinkle some salt and chilli powder and have it. It’s simple yet flavourful. I would have it as a kid, and I do so even now when I visit Juhu Beach. I also love kairi ka aachar and a dish called kairi pulao,” says the actress, who will next be seen in filmmaker Anurag Basu’s Metro… In Dino.