With Diwali round the corner, celebration is in the air for actor Aditya Seal, who says he is “filled with festive fervour”.
Ask the actor about a Diwali memory that sticks out for him and he recounts an animated scene from his childhood: “I was in Delhi, celebrating with my nani and mama. I was very young and we were about to burst crackers. So, my cousin and I decided to ask the neighbours to join in.”
He continues, “My mum lit a rocket flat on the ground. Somehow, for some reason, that rocket took a U-turn and it felt like it was chasing me because I ran for my life and it kept coming after me! Fortunately no one was hurt.”
Festive season in the film industry means a host of high-profile celebrations leading up to Diwali. However, Seal — who is married to actor Anushka Ranjan — finds it easy to strike a balance between celebrating the festivities with his industry friends and family.
“There’s usually a lot of Bollywood parties that happen around Diwali; there I get to celebrate with all my work friends. And on the day of Diwali, we do a puja at home and then low-key celebrations with friends and family,” he tells us.
{{/usCountry}}“There’s usually a lot of Bollywood parties that happen around Diwali; there I get to celebrate with all my work friends. And on the day of Diwali, we do a puja at home and then low-key celebrations with friends and family,” he tells us.
{{/usCountry}}Amidst the festivities, the 36-year-old, who played a gay man in love in his latest film, a queer love story, Amar Prem Ki Prem Kahani, mentions that he has gotten heartwarming messages from the LGBTQ+ community. “People from the community have been thanking me for being their voice in the film... it’s not often that you see a happy ending in such movies. So, they tell me it gives them hope,” Seal ends.