It wouldn’t be far off the mark to assume that younger generations today prefer nuclear families. But former Tollywood actress Meera Chopra still spots a joint family setup. Much like the functioning of joint families, the design of such a multigenerational home also caters to her comfort. The Bangaram fame tells all for our special weekly segment: “I remember living in Delhi. I was living with a joint family. Big would be an understatement. We had a mammoth-sized house. Out of three families under one roof — we were five cousins — it was a riot every day. The tradition of living in such integrated spaces shouldn’t have died. I miss the excitement.”
It’s functional to understand the requirements of each family member and then move on to the collective whole. A home like hers integrated private as well as common spaces that allowed for families to bond together yet enjoy a sense of seclusion under the same roof. Meera Chopra also believes, “The more successful I was becoming, it was natural for my expectations from life to grow as well. I am not almighty. Still, looking at the stardom around me, I wasn’t fascinated with the “fanciness” the celebrity homes have. I want my home to be attractive, not froufrou. Bada ho, chota ho—ghar sundar hone chahiye hai. I bought my first house too late in life; that’s three years ago, and it took me another year to just do its interiors. I was inflexible about making every corner appealing! After having a pretty home to myself, I don’t think I have any other materialistic wants in my life anymore. So whenever I am free from my shoots, I am busy doing more interiors for my living room.”
So what she meant was maybe a narrow entrance can be cumbersome to design or try to push most of the furniture to the wall. What more? Meera elaborated, “I am used to a society living now. All my life, I have been living in colossal bungalows. Because I live in a big city with a hectic job, I don’t want to have a very isolating experience in terms of lack of socialization. I need a sense of belonging and community living for a better life in the long run. Keeping this in mind, my residential area is a gated community.”
In a hypothetical circumstance, Meera Chopra would love to build her dream home in New York City. She’s been to New York time and again — she has seen that house in the distance, just a tiny, lighted blip on an otherwise empty landscape. Evoking that sense of curiosity, envy, and shapelessly fantasising about a life away.
