Pandemic takes the sheen away from Bollywood Diwali parties, but actors look forward to celebrating the festival with a difference

Bollywood’s famous Diwali parties, attended by the who’s who, too won’t be left unaffected by the Covid-19 pandemic. We talk to some actors who have been regular attendees the previous years about this unusual setback.

The grand daawats, the fun card parties, the gathering of the who’s who of Bollywood dressed up to the nines, much to the delight of the paparazzi are what lavish Diwali bashes are all about. However, this year, owing to the ongoing pandemic, parties have taken a backseat completely and many stars have decide to cancel their lavish parties altogether.

Actors Angad Bedi and Kriti Kharbanda both talk about the Covid 19 pandemic affecting the famous Bollywood Diwali parties.

Ekta Kapoor and her family host a party every year for friends and colleagues from the film industry but Tusshar Kapoor says the plans are very different this year.

“My family hosts a big Diwali party every year but this year due to Covid and the sad demise of close family friend Rishi Kapoor ji, we won’t be having a Diwali party. We will of course spend time with each other. It is going to be a somber Diwali, but not a black Diwali for sure. It will be a very happy Diwali but with a difference,” shares the actor-producer.

 

The invitations have also not been coming this year at all, which indicates that it is indeed going to be a quiet one for all.

“Yes the Diwali parties are not happening this year but I’m not complaining because I think that is giving me time to just stay indoors stay safe and spend the festival with my loved ones, my family,” shares actor Kriti Kharbanda.

Producer Anand Pandit’s Diwali party saw attendance from Ajay Devgn, Hrithik Roshan, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Vishal Bhardwaj, Satish Kaushik, Bipasha Basu, Richa Chadha, Kabir Khan, Abbas-Mastan, Rajkummar Rao, Karthik Aryan among others.

Talking about his plans for this year, he says, “Hosting a Diwali party is a tradition I cherish very much and I personally look forward to it. But these are unprecedented times. We are facing an unrelenting global pandemic and it seems impractical and irresponsible to host a party right now. It would be insensitive too when so many people have lost their loved ones and also many of our industry luminaries have passed on this year.”

 

A regular at many parties during Diwali season for the past few years, actor Athiya Shetty reveals that this year it will be much quieter.

“Even though there won’t be any extravagant parties and big gatherings, it will be special because so many people will get to spend time with their families and close ones. I definitely feel that it will be the same for me, we always do a family dinner and I am just happy that I would get to spend time with my grandparents, that’s most important for me,” she shares.

Even for Angad Bedi, not attending Bollywood Diwali parties is not much of a concern as he says, “This is a very different year. It is a very introspecting year. People are going to be home and that is because of the pandemic and we all will spend time with our own people. This year is ending we Are grateful that we are breathing, I just feel we should count our blessing.”

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