As actor Rasika Dugal turns 39 today, she’s marking her birthday by taking some time off and indulging in activities she has been planning to do for long, whether it’s embarking on a day trek or binge-watching a documentary.

“Birthdays, for me, are about catching up with friends, family and myself. If work schedules permit, I try to do something I really enjoy but haven’t been able to do for a while,” she shares. Recalling her last birthday, she says, “I walked through some of my favourite lanes in Mumbai and visited new galleries without knowing what to expect.”

For Dugal, this year is a “toss-up between a day trek and watching a sports documentary”. “As always, the evening will be spent in comfy pyjamas with a close group of friends,” she reveals.

While some choose to use their birthdays as the perfect time to introspect, the Mirzapur actor says that she always finds the time to turn inwards: “I don’t wait for my birthday to self-reflect.”

This year, Dugal hopes to strike the perfect balance between work and her personal life. “If you give me something to do in one hour, I will do it in that hour. But if you give me three days to do the same job or activity, I will take three whole days to do it! There will always be something I will want to tweak. Therefore, this year is about trying to change that while maintaining the quality of my work. And use the rest of the time to do something which is not work-related,” says the actor, who has made her mark in the world of OTT with shows such as Delhi Crime and Out of Love.

When it comes to her work, there is a long list of lessons she has learnt over the years. Explaining, she says, “Filmmaking is a highly collaborative process. In order to be a good collaborator, you’ve to hold yourself to high standards but not necessarily expect the same from others. I learnt how to practice that this year.”