Ranbir Kapoor: My father insists that we light at least two phooljharis as tradition every Diwali

Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone were in Delhi on Diwali eve to celebrate their upcoming film and the festival.
They did indulge in all the usual Delhi Diwali activities – making rangolis, lighting diyas, sharing mithais, lighting some phooljharis, playing cards and doing a little dance. Their friendly rapport was evident throughout – even when they sat down to talk about celebrations and cinema with mediapersons.Complimenting each other, completing each other’s answers and coming up with an answer for the other when the question is a bit baffling or simply blah – the actors displayed quite a complementary camaraderie. So much so, that when somebody said that they have been voted the next SRK-Kajol in an online survey, their instant reaction was a high five!
READ: ​Ranbir Kapoor crossed continents to be with Deepika

Haven’t said ‘head bath’ in ages!
For Deepika, Diwali was on Tuesday, a day before Diwali celebrations here. Is there any difference between the north and south Indian ways of celebrating the festival, we ask. “I don’t know how Diwali is celebrated in north India or in any other part of the country. The day is different – for me Diwali is today. You have to wake up early in the morning and take a full bath, like a head bath – you have to oil your hair the previous day. (Turning to Ranbir) Eh, I haven’t used that term in a long while – head bath... Then we help mum with lighting the diyas, keep the lights ready for the evening, help her with the special food that’s made, set up the puja room and rangoli outside and dispatch Diwali gifts,” says Deepika, describing how she celebrates Diwali if she is at home in Bangalore.

For Ranbir, it’s more or less the same routine every year. “It’s been the same since I was born. We go to RK Studios, do a Laxmi Puja there and distribute gifts among the staff. We go to my grandmother’s house, exchange gifts, take her blessings, go home and do a Laxmi Puja, wear new clothes. My father insists even today that we light at least two phooljharis, my mother says we are done with firecrackers, but he insists. He believes that it is a custom we should follow all our lives. We used to go to our respective parties, my parents used to go and meet their friends and I used to meet mine, but for the last few years all of us have been going to Amitji’s house for Diwali in the evening.”
Deepika scares me as an actor
The two had made their respective debuts eight years ago on Diwali – Saawariya and Om Shanti Om had released on the same day. “It’s been an amazing journey. Back then, we were new, raw, nervous, excited. We were pitted against each other in a sense, for no fault of ours. A month after our first films released, we were shooting together for Bachna Ae Haseeno. Eight years later, we are sitting together and talking about the same film, Tamasha, because we are starring in the same film. It’s nice to see the kind of person Ranbir has become, it’s nice to see his journey, the kind of films that he has done, how talented he is. Working with him makes you a better person and a better actor, since he is so good at his work,” Deepika says. And it was Ranbir’s turn to return the compliments, “Deepika is very selective in giving compliments. Hearing this from her feels great. We all have seen Deepika’s immense growth as an actor. Whenever I work with her I feel most creatively satisfied. As an actor, she scares me. When I’d worked with her in Bachna Ae Haseeno, she was a different entity – shy, demure and a bit of an introvert. When I worked with her in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, there was a sudden leap – an understanding of cinema and life and a baring of her soul, which we all are scared to do. And now we are working together in an Imtiaz Ali’s film, a director we both admire and respect so much.”
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