SRK, Ajay, Akshay share endearing Diwali memories

Moving into an incomplete house, not being allowed into their new home and scourging for crackers, three Bollywood- Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Akshay Kumar- share endearing Diwali memories.

The watchman didn’t know we’d bought Mannat: SRK

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I bought my house (Mannat located at Bandstand in Bandra) when Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (DDLJ; 1995) was releasing. Back then, it was broken, rundown, with no electricity. We had to be careful as there were no proper stairs.

The lower portion was like a warehouse for Yash Chopra’s production stuff. Props from Darr (1993) were kept here. The terrace was the only place where we could party.

The watchman didn’t know that we had bought the place, so he wouldn’t let us in! We had to call the owner to speak to the watchman. My friends Karan (Johar) and Adi (Aditya Chopra) lit up the house with candles, got a generator and put up some lights and we had a surprise Diwali party as DDLJ had released and a few days later was Diwali. We celebrated Diwali while watching DDLJ. It was a special day for all of us.

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We moved into an incomplete house on Diwali: Ajay Devgn

We got impatient, and on Diwali, we moved in anyway. It was maddening and difficult, but in hindsight, it was a lot of fun. We arrived in the morning and arranged the place for our celebrations, working around the incomplete renovation. The place was an absolute mess, but we didn’t care. With half-painted walls, sacks of cement, carpenter’s tools, paint cans all around, our house resembled a storeroom.But I’m glad we did all that because that Diwali ushered in a new phase in my life and Goddess Lakshmi’s blessings continue to be with us ever since.

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Diwali was the longest school break: Akshay Kumar

As a child, my reasons for loving Diwali were a bit selfish. Diwali was the longest school break, so it was my favourite festival.

Like any other kid, I also loved bursting crackers. I’d buy as many as I could with the money I was given, but when they were over, I would search for more among the crackers that other people had burst, to see if any of them had not actually gone off.

And of course, eating mithais was another favourite thing, since this is one festival when you can gorge on a variety of homemade as well as store-bought sweets. Today, I miss the days when I would celebrate Diwali with so much energy and delight, something only a kid can experience.