What Mugdha Godse Said About Her Age Gap With Boyfriend Rahul Dev

Bishwabijoy Mitra (BOMBAY TIMES; August 2, 2021)

Life has been like a beautiful holiday for model-turned-actress Mugdha Godse during the last one year. The actress, who was in Kolkata to shoot a bilingual film recently, not only enjoyed staying at home, working out, binge-watching and indulging in occasional social media lives, but, according to her, it was also probably the best time she has spent with her partner, actor Rahul Dev. Excerpts from a chat..

You have been in a live-in relationship with Rahul for over seven years now. How do you tackle those uncomfortable personal questions about marriage and relationships?
Due to our profession, people would ask such questions about our lives. We are both happy in our space. I think being happy is more important than signing a piece of paper. Marriage is a beautiful institution, but it may not be for everyone. So, when people ask me, I be honest, as I’ve seen honesty is the best policy. Rahul and I are both busy with our work and we share so many common things despite our differences. I am a morning person and he is a night person, but I think our struggle and profession bind us together. We are both first-generation actors from middle-class families, so we share similar views of life and backgrounds. Besides, we follow a spiritual guru and that is another way to bond.

Both Rahul and you have been into fitness. Tell us about your workout regimes.
To me, Rahul and fitness are almost synonymous. He has been sporting a six-pack since the time it was not even a trend, but a novelty in Bollywood. On the other hand, being a model and actor, I too have to follow a strict fitness regime. However, our fitness regime and exercises are completely different. I am more into ashtanga yoga, while Rahul is into gym-oriented exercises. But we like to discuss and talk about it.

What did the pandemic teach you? Any new skills you’ve picked up last year?
A lot. Even though we were having a good time at home, Rahul and I were particularly bothered about the household chores. However, we managed somehow. I have learnt that nothing is greater than the blessing of God.

When there’s a crisis, neither money nor contacts can save you.
During the lockdown, I also started cooking for the first time and did all the household work. I learnt to cook quite a few Punjabi dishes and I am getting better at it.

You mentioned about creating some social media content during the lockdown. During that time, social media had become quite volatile and controversial. How did you approach it?
We should always remember that whatever we say, influences a lot of people. So, when you are saying something you better make sense and you must believe in it. It’s okay to raise your voice against something, but it is also important to keep quiet unless required to do so otherwise.

So many actors were under tremendous mental pressure during the lockdown due to dearth of work. How did you cope with it?
I am the kind of person who keeps her plan-B ready for every situation. So, frustration doesn’t come to me so easily. And then I have my yoga and spiritual classes, which helped me a lot.

Since Fashion in 2008, how much has the industry changed?
Both technologically and content-wise, the Indian film industry has come a long way since 2008. Because of the OTT platforms, the fine line between commercial cinema and art films is disappearing. Films like Thappad and Pink are being made. Now almost every other film revolves around a woman. And I am glad to be a part of the industry at this point.