Happy Diwali: Celebs on what the festival of lights mean to them, share celebration plans

 Diwali is synonymous to good food, fun and happy times with loved ones. Everyone is looking forward to celebrating the festival of lights this year. Celebrities too have made plans and the countdown has already begun. They talk about what the festival signifies to them and how they are looking forward to making merry:

Salim Diwan
I enjoy this festival that symbolizes the spiritual victory of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance. The lights of Diwali signifies a time to destroy all our dark desires, thoughts, eradicate evil and gain strength out of good deeds and also get the positive zeal to carry on the rest of the year. My most favourite Diwali memory is to meet my old friends and have all the sweets and farsans. I love to celebrate all the festivals with my family and friends at home. I don’t enjoy going out to celebrate. As festivals means spending some joyful time with our own people.

Vandana Khandelwal
Diwali signifies hope and happiness.  I love the whole festive vibe, lovely decorations all around and so much positivity. My most favourite Diwali memory as a kid is making rangolis, it was so much fun. I would like to stay at home and celebrate with family this time, dress up, do pooja and eat lots of delicious sweets. Diwali celebration doesn't end in a day, it goes on for a month, visiting friends and loved ones, sending goodies etc.

Ridhiema Tiwari
I was always drawn towards lights from my childhood. Decorative Lights made me the happiest. I looked forward to beautiful well lit arrangements in my house, neighbourhood, the market area and temples. I hated the sound of crackers when I was a baby. My mom would stuff my ears because I wouldn’t stop crying. For me Diwali is indeed the festival of lights— lamps, lanterns, diya's , Laxmi Puja ,phuljadis, good food, flowers, sweets, new clothes and family get-togethers. My most favorite Diwali memory is the one where I overcame my fear of crackers when I was in my 8th Standard. For the first time at my Nani’s house in Gwalior, I burst a lot of crackers that day and felt free from fear. Like every year, I am celebrating Diwali at home in my favorite ways. My husband, Jaskaran Singh, and I are going to be dressed in our best Indian attires. We may invite a few close friends for dinner and have a wonderful family time with our pets (three dogs, Rio Rocky and Arya). We also plan to have a karaoke session to complete the Diwali fun.
 
Anupama Solanki
Diwali is a very precious festival to me, fun, vibrant and energetic because there are lights everywhere, brightness, decorations, excitement and positivity. Each and every Diwali is memorable for me when spent with my family. Unfortunately for the last two years I could not go home during Diwali. But this time, I plan to celebrate the festival with my family. And the best part is that I am fully vaccinated. I can go to my home town Chandigarh and have a gala time. I will also not be able to meet my friends in Mumbai.
 
Nilesh Ahuja
Diwali is one of the major festivals in India and this is all about making fun with friends and family. The festival of lights means fun, good food and happy times with loved ones. As always, this year too I will be celebrating it with my friends and family, and then I will be going on a short trip to the mountains.

Salim Diwan is juggling many hats with élan: the actor, businessman and corporate wants to do more going forward

 

Salim Diwan is slowly scripting his journey in showbiz. The actor has been a part of projects such as who has done projects such as Ankur Arora Murder Case, Bollywood Diaries and Perfect Scream, and is looking forward to do more. Along with this, he is also taking care of his family’s Pharma business and his production house.   Not many know that he has done corporate training recently. “My basic qualification is Bcom, LLB, DLL, and I also finished two semesters of LLM. I always love to learn new things whether they are related to my personal development or business or acting. Most recently, I have completed an online course with Mr. Manoj Bajpayee sir to better my acting skills. And, as we know, Covid has changed viewers' mindset and also business strategies are changing, so I felt the need to understand new things and upgrade my knowledge,” he says.   Salim enjoys doing both being a businessman and corporate. “There’s so much to learn and do everywhere. As far as our business is concerned, I feel good to serve mankind and our Rapl Group is working towards making India ‘Rog Mukt’,” he adds.   He also has knowledge in ancient therapy of Ayurveda and yoga. “To be involved in this kind of business gives me more kick and satisfaction. Yes of course I am passionate about acting in which I live different lives in one life. I personally think the acting which I do gives me personal satisfaction, but, on the other hand, the business which I am into heals mankind,” he explains. Salim says motivating people is a fine art. “I am a champion in this art. Motivation is about moving people to act in a way that achieves a specific and immediate goal. And I motivate my employees and colleagues, make them believe that some tasks are 100% achievable. Training plays a vital role in each and every point. In my business, I am very much conscious about training and personally train each and every staff member so that they can perform their task well, whether it's in a superior position or subordinate. I want to make Ayurveda reach each and every household in India,” he concludes. 2 Attachments     ReplyReply allForward

Have a cracking Diwali: Celebs on what cracker they resemble, and why

 Diwali means lights, good food, fun with loved ones and of course bursting crackers. People have started stacking phuljharis, anars, pencil and sutli bombs, rockets, etc, and kids can’t wait to celebrate the festival. Celebrities talk about the crackers they feel they resemble with, and also explain the reason behind their thoughts. Read on:

 
Ridhiema Tiwari
I think I resemble an anar, spreading light and positive vibes by creating sparkly small moments of joy wherever I go and energizing and charging everything and everyone around me. I'm a positive person and that reflects in my personality.
 
Ragini Nandwani
I resemble a multi-colored anar. I feel in real life too I am colourful and full of life. I like to be vibrant like a multi-coloured anar that shines bright and then goes up in a calm way. It spreads light and positive vibes. Like the anar, I also want to be happy and love to be around happy people.

Jasmin Bhasin
For me it should be the rocket because it shoots up towards the sky!! It is said, ‘The sky's the limit’ and everyone wants to be an achiever. I also feel I still have to achieve great heights in my career.

Prateik Chaudhary
I would say Rocket because I like to be on the top. For sure I want to achieve more in my career. I feel I'm always on a roll and ready to fulfill my ambitions.
 
Shiny Doshi
My personality gels well with a phuljari because it has sparkles and it shines. Also, my name is Shiny, so you get the thrill. Secondly, when you come closer to phuljari it has sparkles which give you a burning sensation, as we say it ‘chatka’. I'm vibrant and always express myself.

Eijaz Khan

I think I resemble a rocket… iski tarah main bhi bohot jaldi uppar chad jata hu aur uppar chadke fatt bhi jata hu. I also feel I have lived life in the fast lane and always follow my heart for my goals.
 
Sharad Malhotra
I resemble sky shot fireworks which aims the sky and it spreads light all over. Given the  many colours this crackers have, it makes everyone happy and brightens up the mood. So my colourful and vibrant personality matches with it.
 
Himanshu Malhotra
I think I am more like the anar because it spreads the shine, when it starts, it reaches the peak before slowing down. Our lives are much like anars, we start our journey, meet people, make memories, talk to them and then slowly when we start aging things many a times become gloomy. I can closely relate to it.

Mubeen Saudagar: People wrongly think I changed my surname to Saudagar after my stand-up act on Raajkumar saab became a hit

 Stand-up comedian Mubeen Saudagar has been making people love for years now, his fans in and beyond the country look forward to his performances. Also a mimicry artist, he recently made his debut in Bollywood with Salman Khan’s Radhe. Many often praise his unique name and surname, and Mubeen begins by sharing the kind of reactions, comments he has got so far.    

 
“People actually think I changed my surname to Saudagar after watching the Hindi film starring Dilip Kumar saab and Raajkumar saab, but that isn’t correct. Actually, I did a stand act on Raajkumar in Comedy Circus and people thought since it was successful I changed my surname to Saudagar. That isn’t correct. Saudagar is my family name. My father named me Mubeen which means giving sunlight. I don't know whether I am able to brighten people’s lives but my efforts are driven towards making them happy for sure,” he shares.
 
While Mubeen did a number of shows such as Comedy Champions, Pehchan Kaun, comedy dangal and entertainment ki raat , Comedy Circus, Comedy Classes and Comedy Nights Bachao, his journey wasn’t smooth.
 
“In the beginning there were a lot of struggles. I used to write a lot for TV and when I used to give narrations, people used to tell me that I should take the stage and perform. I did stage shows but TV was never in my mind but then slowly I started getting opportunities. When I worked with Kapil (Sharma; actor and comedian) bhai, my talent became known in the world,” he says, adding that the shows he likes the most are Comedy Classes, Comedy Nights Bachao and Comedy Circus.
 
Talking about the present scenario of comedy, he adds, “I think comedy has really changed a lot. Earlier it was like the joke would be within four lines and then came the punchline, but now there’s variety. It's about desi comedies these days and now every line should have a punchline and should make the audience laugh.”
 
People say comedy is something which comes from within and you can't learn it. “Personally for me it's different. My wife and people around me tell me that I am a very serious person and there’s no comedy inside me. But whenever I am facing the camera or I am on stage it comes from within and I am quite natural at that. I don't know how that happens, but this is true,” he explains, who adds that his recent experience with the Zee Comedy Show was quite good.

Since his debut film did well, we ask him about his plans of taking up more acting offers. “I would love to act as well as do love performances. There is no particular genre or role or platform that I want to focus on, I want variety and my focus is on quality,” says Mubeen, who sees himself happily well settled with his wife and kids five years down the line.
 
The pandemic has affected the entertainment industry. It has changed the way we live and work. “The pandemic has definitely made us learn so many things and got us thinking about ourselves. Personally, I have thought a lot about what and how I should do things. It was during this time that I could go back to reading books, spend time with my family and utilise it in developing my skills,” he ends.

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Happy Diwali: Celebs on what the festival of lights mean to them, share celebration plans

 Diwali is synonymous to good food, fun and happy times with loved ones. Everyone is looking forward to celebrating the festival of lights this year. Celebrities too have made plans and the countdown has already begun. They talk about what the festival signifies to them and how they are looking forward to making merry:

Anjali Phougat
Diwali symbolizes the spiritual victory of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance. My most favourite memory is to celebrate the occasion with my family in India, doing the pooja together and staying up late for fireworks. Feeling really nostalgic thinking about those days… In the US, we celebrate Diwali with friends and it's an annual tradition to throw a party for Diwali at our place. This is something I am planning to do this time as well but sometime later this year with my friends and family. So I am excited and looking forward to seeing my loved ones soon.

Saurabh Agarwal
Diwali many things to me, I have written a poem that says it all. ‘Har taraf chaka chaundh Dil mai Andhera../Kaisa yeh tyohaar kaisa yeh bakeda../ Bahari saajo sajawat raushani nahi/Man ki Safai Raushani ko darshata hai Dipawali ka tyohaar/ Aao phunke apne Dimaag ke is Ravan ko Aur manayen harsh ulhaas ka yeh tyohaar../ Baharari sajavat ka kya matlab jab apna Dil hi Kala ho,/ Ek deep jalao Pyaar ka, toh Insaan khud ka Roshan ho../  Phir har din hoga tyohaar, /Jalein gay deep aur phootega pyaar ka anaar,/ Diwali phir har din bane gi janaab aur Hoga  khushiyoon ka tyohaar..’ Happy Deepavali, love all irrespective of who they are. As a kid it was a huge celebration for us. It was a great family bonding, all of us cousins used to celebrate it together. As kids, we used to wait for fire crackers and moti choor ka laddu, and we also used to get envelopes with money from our elders. It was great fun. Dussehra onward we used to  start playing cards as a part of our rituals.
 
Shiny Doshi
Diwali is one of my favourite festivals, because we used to get good long vacations at our grandparents place. Diwali is the time when the entire family used to come together to celebrate. The significance of the occasion is the pooja that we do during this time. I’m a very spiritual person. After the pooja it’s all about bursting crackers. Diwali actually gives a ray of hope to you, fills your heart with joy. And about my favourite memory would be spending time with my notorious brother during our childhood days. Now, we don’t burst crackers but as kids when parents used to get us crackers my brother used to steal my crackers so he could burst them all alone. And I used to fight with him and cry and hide my crackers too (laughs). This is my first Diwali after marriage, so I will most probably be in Mumbai with my family and friends. I’m very excited to do the Laxmi pooja with my in-laws and husband.

Nivedita Basu
Diwali, for us, is obviously about meeting friends and going to their houses for good, adds and laughter. But for the past two years I’ve forgotten what Diwali looks and feels like. Fortunately for Durga Puja, Dussehra and even in Diwali I will be with my mother. She is here in Mumbai with us. We will be following all the standard protocols while enjoying the occasion.

Celina Jaitly Haag wins her first Filmfare award last night at the filmfare Middle East awards night in Dubai. “ BEST PERFORMANCE IN SHORT FILM” goes to CELINA JAITLY HAAG for SEASONS GREETINGS- by Ramkamal Mukherjee.

 Celina talks of her incredible journey and hard work to reach this point , she says- “It took 18 years as an actor, an 8 year break from Cinema, two twin pregnancies and overcoming the loss of my parents and son to win this. Thank you FILMFARE (ME), for giving this award to genuine hard work. I couldn’t make it for the awards but this award certainly made it to my heart and soul. 

She dedicated it to her late parents whom she lost just before the film shoot and her husband Peter Haag and also director Ramkamal Mukherjee , he believed in her from the beginning and was of great support through the difficult moments of shooting while suffering from depression.

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Producer Sudhir Sharma: There are only few takers for progressive and realistic content. We must stop chasing the last hit, audiences are ready for new stories.

 Having done shows like Miley Jab Hum Tum, 12/24 Karol Bagh, Na Bole Tum Na Maine Kuch Kaha, The Buddy Project etc over the years, Sudhir Sharma has come a long way. He has seen the industry evolve. Meanwhile, his latest production Ziddi Dil Maane Na is doing well.  

  
“People are scared of taking risks and just want to follow the last hit format. It’s quite evident from the viewing pattern on TV and in the growing numbers on OTT platforms that our audiences are looking for more variety and different storytelling” he adds.
 While many think that the content on television has evolved considerably, he feels otherwise. “I don’t agree with this. Many shows are similar to what it used to be 10 years back. We are still making almost similar stuff. And the saas-bahu era isn’t over. It seems there are only few takers for progressive and realistic content,” he says, adding that it’s time that we become realistic, explore the unexplored and experiment as the audience is ready.
 Talking more about the changes he thinks should be incorporated in daily soaps, he shares, “We must narrate different stories. At least we must try! Engaging stories of hope and happiness, stories of real drama in our lives should be touched upon.”

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