Bandra strikes the perfect balance, says Anupama Chopra

I grew up at Nepean Sea Road near this lovely little café called Pastry Palace. My earliest memory of the neighbourhood was watching Jackie Shroff walk up and down the area, as he was the local dada (chuckles). Then, we moved abroad for many years. Finally, I returned to India only to make Bandra my home. This was 19 years ago after I got married.

What I love most about Bandra is that it is constantly changing. There is always something new that is coming up—I see new shops all the time. For the longest time, I could not figure out which lane led to which area in Bandra because there are these little pagdandis (walking paths) that take you someplace else. It's just fascinating, I think—a great combination of the old world meeting the new.

I love taking a walk at Joggers Park in the morning; I find it very therapeutic. I love eating at Hakkasan. I love that my kids' school is in Bandra (E), which is just 25 minutes away. I love that Pooja Dhingra now has a pastry shop here. So, we get all the pastries that we love over here, and of course, there's the Bagel Shop! I love Bandra more than South Mumbai.

In Bandra, there are areas, especially bungalows that are completely untouched. And yet, Bandra is now the central point of the city. For me, that is ideal and I couldn't have asked for a better place to live.

—As told to Jayadev Calamur