Delhi is special to me, it’s like my sasural: Sharmila Tagore

Actor Sharmila Tagore talks about her love for Delhi and how she celebrates Diwali.

An actor par excellence and a forever beauty, Sharmila Tagore says Delhi holds a special place in her heart. We caught up with the 71-year-old Bollywood veteran at an event in the Capital.

Actor Sharmila Tagore will celebrate Diwali in Pataudi. (Yogen Shah/HT Photo)

“I was born in Kanpur and have travelled across India. But Delhi is special for me. It’s like my sasuraal (in-laws’ home). I’ve been living here since 1984. I raised my kids here, they did their schooling here. Also, it’s quite near to Pautadi (a place close to my heart),” says Tagore, mother of actors Saif Ali Khan and Soha Ali Khan and jewellery designer Saba Ali Khan.

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What are her plans for Diwali? “I’ll run away to Pataudi as it gets very noisy where I live. I prefer a peaceful and calm place,” says Tagore, who believes in a cracker-free Diwali.

“The festival is about Diyas, decorations, pooja and meeting family. I’m not a cracker person. My husband (late Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi) had lung disease and I don’t want people to suffer because of pollution. We celebrate Diwali without causing pollution,” concludes the actor, known for her roles in films such as An Evening in Paris (1967) and Amar Prem (1972).