It is more than just a festival for Shanaya Kapoor this Diwali, who is gearing up for a release next week. She is equally nervous and excited about the release, but all of it after the festivities. Diwali in this Kapoor family is all about getting together, enjoying a home-cooked feast, and playing cards all night. "For Diwali, I always remember being at my dadi's house and having a huge family meal with all of us dressed up and meeting each other. Usually, we're always meeting each other after so long because the year is filled up with so many schedules, travelling and shoot that finally Diwali is a day where my dadi used to always bring the family together," shares Shanaya.
And food, she says, is and was always an integral part of the Diwali at home. "My dadi's home food has always been iconic. The mutton pulao, jungli mutton, paneer, dahi vada - these were like her famous dishes. Of course, Boney (Kapoor) chachu has his special fish curry. So, chachu started bringing the fish curry also to the house. So, these are like our famous Kapoor dishes," she says, adding, "I would say my favourite is the jungli mutton."
For the Tu Ya Main actor, festivities are incomplete without her close friends. "I also spend a lot of time with my friends. Everyone's dressing up; there are so many parties, like my Diwali is actually starting tonight... In fact, at this moment, I'm actually at Khushi (Kapoor)'s house, and we're discussing our Diwali looks in her room," she shares.
Friends, for her, are easily among the best things about her life. Besides her mother, Maheep Kapoor, she says, her friends are her go-to people. "All my school friends, Khushi, of course, is my sister, but she is also my friend, and we are a part of the same group. Ananya (Panday), Suhana (Khan), Navya (Naveli Nanda), obviously go without saying. I am constantly chatting with them about how I'm feeling. So, this is my core group of just five or six girls I just lean on. I can trust them and talk to them about anything, which I think is very rare to find. And I'm very grateful for that," she adds.
{{/usCountry}}Friends, for her, are easily among the best things about her life. Besides her mother, Maheep Kapoor, she says, her friends are her go-to people. "All my school friends, Khushi, of course, is my sister, but she is also my friend, and we are a part of the same group. Ananya (Panday), Suhana (Khan), Navya (Naveli Nanda), obviously go without saying. I am constantly chatting with them about how I'm feeling. So, this is my core group of just five or six girls I just lean on. I can trust them and talk to them about anything, which I think is very rare to find. And I'm very grateful for that," she adds.
{{/usCountry}}Shanaya lost her dadi, Nirmal Kapoor, on May 2, 2025, at the age of 90. Every year, she used to be the one getting the family together. However, the 27-year-old actor says that Anshula made the plan this year. "Because it was always a ritual with my dadi always bringing us together, this year Anshula was the one who messaged in our family group saying, 'Guys, should we do Diwali this year?' And my dad was like, 'Of course, we should. Let's plan it, and we should meet up for dinner because it's been a ritual. I feel it's a moment for me and the whole family to even remember her because this used to be her thing," she shares.
On the work front, Shanaya is all set for the release of Student of the Year: After Dark, where she plays a double role. Talking about the project, she says, "I'm very, very overwhelmed. The countdown has started. It's a show that is very close to my heart. It's actually the first project that came my way. SOTY was the first project that I got in my hand. So it's been a very long journey."