Anusha Dandekar recalls being hospitalised at 14 after drinking alcohol, ‘Never wanted to try a drug in my life’ |
Actor-host Anusha Dandekar, who has spent over two decades in the entertainment industry, recently opened up about a life-changing experience from her teenage years. In a candid conversation with Dr Madhu Chopra on her YouTube channel, Anusha revealed that she ended up in the hospital at the age of 14 after unknowingly consuming too much alcohol.“I ended up in the hospital when I was 14 because it tasted like passion fruit and I thought it was really yummy, so I drank the whole thing,” she recalled. “The nurse told my father, ‘Don’t be mad at her, she will never drink alcohol like that again.’ Correct.”
‘I just didn’t want to do the wrong thing’
When asked about her vices, Anusha laughed and said, “Diet Coke is probably my worst vice ever.” She added, “I credit my parents for trusting me and giving me a lot of freedom. I just didn’t want to do the wrong thing.”She admitted that the hospital episode was enough to keep her away from alcohol ever since. “Have I tried alcohol? Yeah. But that incident scarred me so badly that I never drank like that again,” she said.
‘Never wanted to try a drug in my life’
Anusha also shared that she has always been cautious about not losing control of her mind. “Never wanted to try a drug in my life. Ever. I have a control issue—if I don’t have control over my mind, I will freak out. So I never wanted to go there,” she said.Speaking about smoking, she revealed that her father’s habit influenced her decision to stay away from it. “I saw my dad smoking so much when we were younger and I have asthma, so that wasn’t a choice I wanted to make for myself. Have I tried cigarettes? Of course. It’s gross and I don’t like the smell.”
‘MTV made me super responsible’
Anusha, who moved from Australia to Mumbai at the age of 20, credited her early professional opportunity with MTV for keeping her grounded. “This was the time where I could have gone raging and whatever, but it went reverse. I became super responsible. I got an apartment, I had a job because MTV gave it to me, and I would never take that for granted,” she said.The actor also laughed about being misunderstood because of her naturally high energy. “Everyone has always asked my manager, ‘What is she taking?’ Because I’m so hyperactive, I’m thin, my eyes are very light, they do look glassy sometimes. And she’s like, ‘She won’t even drink wine at an event.’ So I don’t know, I was really lucky,” she concluded.
