"I started practicing yoga after I suffered from an injury while dancing a few years back. It helped heal the pain and overcome it gradually. I have never looked back since then. It is a way of life for me now," says Malaika.

 

"Yoga in general is very relaxing and effective if done correctly, so I think instead of focusing on one or two asanas, one should try and integrate it in their daily lives. I swear by breathing exercises. Anulom vilom, kapalbhati, bhastrika etc magic asanas to relieve stress and anxiety. It also helps you get proper sleep," she adds.

 

Malaika, like many celebrities, often falls prey to social media trolls. She claims trolling does not affect her anymore.

 

"It doesn't affect me anymore. People who troll are not my family, they are not my friends, they are not my fans..so they don't matter to me. And the things that don't matter, I happily ignore and move on," Malaika says.

 

On the work front, Malaika features on the show "Star Vs Food", where she is seen exploring her love for food.

 

"My passion for food is what intrigued me to be a part of this show. It was an amazing experience. Not only was I doing what I love but was paired with an excellent chef like Prateek, who pushed me to go that extra mile and introduced me to many cool ingredients that one can use in their daily cooking," she says.

 

On how she began to take interest in cooking, Malaika recalls: "My interest peaked when I was fairly young. My mom used to cook these amazing dishes for us and I used to get so intrigued by all the fragrance, taste, texture and mainly, the look of satisfaction in everybody's face after tasting her food."

 

What is Chef Malaika's special item? "I learnt this amazing zucchini and prawn spaghetti from my friend and now I have excelled at it," says Malaika, who is trying out quite a few recipes on the Discovery+ show "Star Vs Food".