Everyone from Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan to Anil Kapoor and Salman Khan are ready to celebrate Diwali.
Amitabh, who was recently discharged from hospital after a brief health scare, will host a party at his Juhu home on Sunday, after a gap of two years. The family refrained from celebrations because his daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s father died in 2017, and his daughter Shweta Bachchan Nanda’s father-in-law died in 2018. Filmfare reports that Amitabh’s party will likely be attended by Ajay Devgn and Kajol, Akshay Kumar and Twinkle Khanna, Shah Rukh and Gauri Khan, Karan Johar, Aanand Pandit, Kabir Khan, Sanjay Dutt, Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, and many others.
Shah Rukh was in New Delhi with son AbRam ahead of Diwali, but will return to Mumbai in time to celebrate with family, and to possibly attend Amitabh’s party. “I would love to spend Diwali here (in New Delhi) but there are a couple of parties back in Mumbai that we have to attend. That has become a culture. So, I have to rush back,” he told IANS.
Jackky Bhagnani and Mallika Bhat hosted respective Diwali parties, which were attended by everyone from Kriti Sanon, Varun Dhawan, Sara Ali Khan, Taapsee Pannu, Shahid Kapoor, Malaika Arora, Kajol and Arjun Kapoor, among others.
Actor Taapsee Pannu, who witnessed the release of her film Saand Ki Aankh on Friday, told IANS that she will celebrate with family, as usual. She said, “Difference being I have called my parents to Mumbai this time instead of going to Delhi myself. I will follow the ritual of making rangoli and painting diyas. I will do a small ardas at home and have dinner together.”
Meanwhile, Sonakshi Sinha spoke about her plans to IANS, and said, “I’m not working on Diwali day fortunately because I think the entire industry takes an off on this auspicious day! My plans are to do the pooja at home and then go visit some friends who are having Diwali parties at their homes.” She added, “But if I have to work I’m okay with that too… because you know what they say – work is worship.”
Alia Bhatt, meanwhile, will reportedly be working on her upcoming film, Sadak 2, directed by her father Mahesh Bhatt, and starring her half-sister Pooja, along with Aditya Roy Kapur and Sanjay Dutt.
Actor Richa Chadha provided a glimpse into her Diwali plans, and told IANS, “With all of our busy schedules, my parents insist that all of us must be in the same city for the festival whenever possible… As a kid growing up in Delhi, Diwali was very hectic with our families doing the annual ‘Diwali gifting’ trips for two weeks before and after the festival. The good thing about this exercise was that we got to meet relatives at least that one time every year. Now, Diwali is about the parties, cleaning up and being conscious about the needs of others. We have never really burst crackers, so this year won’t be any different.”
Filmfare reports that Salman Khan’s sister, Arpita, and her husband Aayush Sharma, will be hosting their annual Diwali bash at their Bandra residence. The entire Khan family is expected to attend. Anil Kapoor and his family, including wife Sunita and their three children, Sonam, Rhea and Harshvardhan, will also host a party at their home.
Prasanta Patnaik