Ratan Rajput (Laali of Agle Janam Mohe bitiya Hi Kijo)
This year, my co-star Deepika is hosting a Christmas party at her house. So it will be fun to spend a nice evening around the Christmas tree with many of my co-stars who have now become like a family to me. If I am given a holiday on New Year’s eve, I will be spending it with my sister & family in Delhi so I am eagerly looking forward to sometime off with my near and dear ones!
Suhasi Dhami: (Swarn Abha of Yahaan Main Ghar Ghar Kheli)
Ideally, for Christmas, I’d like to become Santa Claus this year. After all, why should only boys have all the fun!! (Laughs). But on a more serious note, I haven’t given it much thought though given that it is a season of giving, I’d like to do something that brings a smile on the faces of those less fortunate than us. I will not be in town to usher in the New Year however since my hubby is taking me abroad for a much needed vacation!
Gaurav Khanna: (Prem of Dil Se Diya Vachan)
I am planning on taking a break from work for this New Year’s. Though I traditionally go somewhere out of Mumbai every year, this year I plan on spending some time in this wonderful city just to absorb the feel good energy that every Mumbaikar seems to ooze with at this time of the year. Their energy is simply infectious!
Vandana Joshi: (Nandini of Dil Se Diya Vachan)
For Christmas & New Year’s I have got a long vacation planned. Since our entire unit has been given the week off, my friends and I are planning a roadtrip to two or three locations which we are yet to decide upon. Mostly, there will be a party at one of my friend’s homes.
Binny Sharma: (Gauri of Sanjog Se Bani Sangini)
Given the way our schedules are currently, there does not seem to be a moment of respite for us for either Christmas or New Year & hence it looks like I will be celebrating the holiday season with the rest of my cast & crew of Sangini. An unexpected break however, will always be welcome and I will go home to spend some time with my family. Miss them the most during festive occasions.
Iqbal Khan: (Rudra of Sanjog Se Bani Sangini)
Decorating the Christmas tree is an annual tradition at our house. Sneha loves to decorate one & I just chip in for fun! Our home is a true picture of national integration (laughs). Like every year, this year too, Rudra will go on vacation with his real Sangini (Sneha) to a foreign locale. I would really like to surprise her for once since she is the one who usually does all the planning every year. It will be so much fun to see the expression on her face when I break the news!! Especially since I have told her that I am working during that week. Now please don’t use this before New Year’s eve or you will spoil my surprise! (Laughs).
Karan V. Grover: (Karan of Yahaan Main Ghar Ghar Kheli)
I absolutely LOVE Christmas!!! It is one of my favourite festivals especially since I have so many Christian friends. This year the weather is so wonderful in Mumbai and it is so lovely to see people all dressed up to go to church for Mass on Christmas eve. All of my friends send me tons of plum cake & marzipan which I end up gorging on…so you see I am not really a fitness freak at all. Luckily this New Year’s we have been given three days off from shoots so I will end up bringing it in either hot air ballooning or deep sea diving in Dubai! The adrenaline rush in these adventure sports is like no other!
Sargun Mehta: (Geeta of Apno Ke Liye Geeta Ka Dharmyudh)
For me, Christmas is always special as my Papa’s birthday also falls on the 25th December. So at home, the celebrations are always double the fun. For the longest time I believed in Santa Claus ‘cos my papa would leave gifts for me under my pillow. There was a point when I even wondered how other kids got their gifts at Christmas since my papa was sleeping at home! Even in college, my friends and I would keep up the tradition of a secret Santa wherein we would each give the other gifts secretly till Christmas eve when all would be revealed! I do miss those days for now Christmas has now become a much toned down festival at my place. However I do hope that we get some time off from shooting for New Year’s ‘cos I am really looking forward to the New Year parties!
Abhishek Rawat: (Shekhar of Agle Janam mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo)
Christmas is always fun. I have few Catholic friends and like always, I’m going to be celebrating Christmas with them this year too. Not to mention, there’s also loads of shopping on the agenda. I love buying gifts for my family and close friends and they love receiving them. I intend to usher the New Year in Goa this year! I plan to surprise my wife by taking her out on a romantic dinner and then partying the whole night with friends. My wife will surely love me twice over after reading this!
Sushmita Mukherjee: (Gangiya of Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo)
Well, I’m working this Christmas and New Year! So there’s no great plan so far. But I love Christmas and celebrate it in a true Christian style! Every year, me and my kids bring in the Christmas tree and decorate it lying awake the whole night waiting for Santa Clasu to fill in the stocking with gifts! We also organize grand Christmas luncheons and call our close family and friends. The lunch is replete with plum cakes, roast turkeys, red wine, marzipans, chocolates etc. I’m going to be missing it all this year!
Currently, I’m shooting for a movie in this beautiful jungle in interiors of Madhya Pradesh called ‘ Panna’. Guess, my New Year will be spent with the film unit here. I’m looking forward to it too…
Kratika Sengar: (Manikarnika of Jhansi Ki Rani)
I’ve got 2 days off during Christmas so on 24th, I’m going to be scooting off to my hometown Kanpur and celebrate Christmas with my family! New Years will be mostly spent shooting in Karjat for Jhansi Ki Rani. I’m going to be missing the private Halloween parties that we used to have every year with friends! If I’m lucky enough to get some time off for New Year’s also, I’ll surely come back to Mumbai and party with friends!
Usha Nadkarni: (Savita Tai of Pavitra Rishta)
I’ll definitely go for a short holiday if I get a break. I’m tired of shooting relentlessly throughout day and listening to roll… action.. and cut! I’m not a party person at all. I enjoy sitting at home and watching television. All the entertainment channels line up some great stuff during these times and I love watching them on the Christmas and New Year’s Day! Ghar pe baithke TV dekhne ka aur tandoori chicken khane ka….and like I said earlier, if I get an off, I’ll most probably go to Ganapatiphule, (a place close to Ratnagiri) for a holiday!
Zarina Wahab: (Pratibha of Yahaan Main Ghar Ghar Kheli)
I’ve not made any plans for Christmas and New Year’s this year. It’s going to be very boring for me I guess. Last year it was great fun. I had gone to Bangkok with my kids and sister and enjoyed a grand Christmas and New Year there. This year, I’m sure I’m not going to be sitting at home and watching TV!
Himanshoo Malhotra: ( Guddu Shukla of Bhagonwali )
I still remember my first midnight Mass – Joseph, a close friend, called me for the Mass and I was thrilled to spend Christmas the Christian way with prayers, bonhomie, candies, Santa Claus and little children running around dressed in bright colors. The bonhomie and camaraderie that I experienced that day will be etched in my memory forever.
My most memorable New Year celebrations had been in Goa. I was in college when a group of my friends made a randon plan to go to Goa. We had no idea that Goa will be jam packed during New Years and there will be no place to move on the roads. All our plans of gyrating at Titos and Mambos went down the drain as we could not cut through the traffic and ended up celebrating New Years in the car right in the middle of the road coz the traffic did not budge an inch. Thankfully there was Dominos or else we would have wished “Hungry New Year”.
Nivedita Tiwary: (Runjhun of Bhagonwali )
Christmas celebrations started well in advance during my school days as we had holidays during the festive time. I was a part of the Christmas choir and enjoyed going for rehearsals when regular classes were on. I was always very fascinated with the concept of Santa Claus but every year I fell asleep without asking Santa for anything. One time, I decided to stay up till midnight and asked Santa to make my handwriting good and believe it or not after a few days my class teacher did compliment me on my handwriting. Since then I have made it a point to wish for something during Christmas Eve in the hope of it turning out to be true.
Sudesh Berry: (Loha Singh of Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo)
Christmas and New Years were always time to celebrate and thank God for the wonderful year we’ve had. I love winters and looked forward to organize outdoor get-togethers and also to gorge on winter delicacies. The entire week had a feel of celebration in the air and festivities were just an excuse to celebrate in a grand way. Schools and colleges remained shut during this time and I made the most of it. An actor’s job does not give me the liberty to take off on a vacation as and when I want to but even today, given a chance I would love to go to a peaceful beach and relax those frayed nerves.
Nikhil Chadda: (Prince of Apno Ke Liye Geeta Ka Dharmyudh)
As a child I used to spend time with my family during Christmas and New Year’s Eve. I am very close to my cousins and we would either have a family gathering at a common place or the whole family went out for a vacation. Winters are the best time to have fun in Delhi. The chill in the air, the smell of delicacies wafting in the air, the feeling of cuddling up under the quilt and a week of celebrations made me look forward for this time of the year. I have always been a naughty kid and never expected any gift from Santa but my parents used to slip something from my most wanted list under my pillow and I loved those little surprises. My father and I love bursting crackers and we always saved some fireworks for New Year’s. Bursting crackers in the middle of the night and waking up our neighbour, who chose to sleep at his usual time, was thrilling.
Marzi Pestonji – ( Mentor DID Doubles)
I am jam packed with work during this season. But this year, it will be different since I’ll be spending this festive season working with some new participants that I have got through DID Doubles. Still I’ll manage some time out and spend a couple of days with my family in Mahabaleshwar.
Jay Bhanushali –(Anchor DID Doubles)
For a change I will be celebrating New Year much before time. I am off to Goa on 19thDecember for a friend’s wedding so will encash on this trip. 25th December is also my birthday so it’s a double treat for me. Honestly, haven’t planned anything but awaiting a lot of suprises…(smiles).
Krutika Desai – (Bharti of Ram Milaye Jodi)
Some of my closest friends are Christian. Imtiaz and I make it a point to catch up with them around Christmas. When I was a kid, I’d enjoy decorating trees at their place. Now we just hang out and unwind over a bottle of wine. Such quality time is what I genuinely look forward to! This year, since I’m shooting practically every day for Ram Milaayi Jodi, I haven’t made any elaborate plans. But when the clock strikes 12 on 31st night, I am sure I’ll be dancing the night away with my loved ones.
Nishant Malkani – (Anukalp of Ram Milaye Jodi)
I’m not big on partying. I prefer spending time with my own small bunch of friends on New Year’s Eve. One of the most memorable time was when my buddies and I took off to gorgeous Ladakh in the most unplanned manner. With just barely enough clothes to keep us warm and we headed off on this crazy adventure trip. We completely roughed it out and experienced nature in all it’s glory. This year, with the shoot schedule for Ram Milaayi Jodi being quite choc-a-bloc, I’ll end up popping the bubbly with the unit in all likelihood.
Chitrapama – (Amrit of Ram Milaye Jodi)
You might call me boring for this but I genuinely enjoy watching New Year’s eve programmes on television with a bunch of friends. I love to cook and I usually host a dinner at my place and some of my close friends drop in to have a good time! This year will be no different.
Aruna Irani- (Rajrani of Sanjog se Bani Sangini)
I hope you don’t expect me to party and dance the night away. I’ve had my own share of fun in my younger days. These days, I like to just relax and spend some quality time with family. When we’re in the mood to step out, we do go and enjoy a family dinner some place nice. Masala Kraft at the Taj is a personal favorite!
Kunika Lal – (Kalki Devi of Sanjog se Bani Sangini)
I invariably go club-hopping on New Year’s Eve as just one party isn’t good enough. I have a whole bunch of friends who’re complete party animals and we like to check out the scene across a number of happening hot-spots in and around Mumbai. This year, I’m in the mood for something quieter so I’ll probably head off to Lonavala with my close ones!
