Actor Vidya Balan gets into the festive mode and reveals her shopping plans on Dhanteras today

'A new buy is a must'

Actor Vidya Balan gets into the festive mode and reveals her shopping plans on Dhanteras today

Actor Vidya Balan

Come Diwali, and it's celebration time at actor Vidya Balan's house. This time around the festivities are all the more special for her, says the Bolly beauty. "It's going to be my niece and nephew's first Diwali and we are all very excited," she exclaims. "The festivities kickstart today with Dhanteras, which is an extremely auspicious day, and I'm looking forward to buying something new," reveals Vidya, adding that it's been a tradition that the family's always observed. "It's such a beautiful festival and I can't wait to light the diyas myself," she adds.
Though the actor reveals that she will be working today, she says that she will juggle her shoot and make time for her Diwali shopping too. "A new buy is a must. It doesn't matter whether it's a gold coin or a silver trinket, but I'll buy something new for sure. And as always, I will also be buying Kanjeevarams for my mom," says Vidya, who's recently recuperated from a severe bout of exhaustion. "I think the Diwali spirit helped me recover faster," she smiles. In true festive spirit, the actor was even welcomed back on the sets of her film The Dirty Picture with balloons and an impromptu party. "I'm working today, but Diwali is going to be a holiday for sure," she smiles.

Rani Mukharjee

Talking about her plans for the days ahead, Vidya says that she loves celebrating the day in the traditional way, so apart from work "it's going to be shopping today, then rangoli tomorrow and the puja on Wednesday." "Diwali has a strong community connect and I have some very fond memories of celebrating it right from my childhood. Making the community rangoli, preparing delicious sweetmeats, visiting neighbours and relatives and waking up early on Diwali day and visiting temples, it was fun unlimited!" shares Vidya. She however admits that she's never been too high on bursting crackers. "This time too I will be helping my mom with the rangoli, though I won't be of much help in the kitchen," she laughs.