Prateek Sharma's (Studio LSD) ‘Pyar Ka Pehla Naam Radha Mohan’ cast shares their Diwali plans and more:

Neeharika Roy (Radha)

Diwali gives me positive energy and happiness. I can visualize that auspicious moment when Lord Rama and Goddess Sita came back to Ayodhya after defeating Ravana. And, people welcomed them by decorating diyas that removes all darkness and ushers in positivity. This Diwali I don’t have any special plans given my busy schedule. However, at least I will buy some new dresses, sweets, diyas and noise free crackers like phuljhadi, chakri, anar etc. I plan to wear a traditional sari in the evening as I do every Diwali. I will decorate my house with diyas and lights and will also be helping mom with making the rangoli. Then we will do the puja and I will burst some crackers with my dad and enjoy some sweets and homemade kheer. Next day most probably there will be a shoot there. I have many fond memories of Diwali and this was the first occasion of my life when I bought crackers with my dad. It was very memorable and funny. I didn't recognise the varieties of crackers but insisted that my Dad purchase those crackers which had attractive pictures and stickers on the box. At night when I lit the crackers (phuljhari) for the first time with the help of my dad, that feeling was really amazing and memorable.

Sumit Aroraa (Ajeet)

I am always excited for Diwali and love decorating the house. I also enjoy doing the puja and spending time with my family. It’s one of the important festivals where we celebrate such a special time with family and fill our homes with positive energy. When we all do Laxmi puja it’s a very special moment. During my childhood, we used to do the puja and all my focus used to be visiting my friends so that we all could burst crackers. I miss my childhood days of Diwali. It was much more happy and joyous. This time we could celebrate it in a grand way and would be able to meet our friends and family members. Touchwood things have normalised now. Yes, I wanted to go to my hometown with my mom and dad to celebrate Diwali but due to the shooting I could not. I am happy and blessed that I will be celebrating here with my on screen family.

Ranveer Singh Malik (Rahul)

I am always very excited for Diwali as it is the perfect time to unite and unify. I feel that Diwali is a unifying event, and can soften even the hardest of hearts. It is a time when people greet each other joyfully and embrace one another. The vibrations produced by the greetings of love, which fill the atmosphere, are powerful. When the heart has considerably hardened, only a continuous celebration of Deepavali can rekindle the urgent need of turning away from the ruinous path of hatred. I have lots of invitations for the Diwali party as well. Major ritual that we do on Diwali is the Laxmi Pooja followed by Govardhan Pooja, which is a jaata community tradition that we used to do back home in Chandigarh and then we burst some crackers.

Swati Shah (Kadambari)

My Diwali is always very special. I love the colours and lights. My husband and I love festivals and Diwali is one time when we become small kids again. We go for a stroll in the evening to see the lights and love the feel. There is so much activity around us where people are happy and shopping, and I go to the market area to see the different kinds of lights being sold. Everything makes me very happy. My plan for Diwali is to decorate my house. Every year I have a different theme. Sometimes it’s only marigold flowers, sometimes it’s only lights and rose petals or sometimes it’s very Indian or contemporary. I love the festive mood. Even during the pandemic, I used to decorate my house. It's been our ritual for years that we touch the feet of our elders. So, my husband and I would visit our elders and mother-in-law. I believe on Diwali we should keep our doors and windows open as Goddess Laxmi visits our home and we welcome her with lots of lights and diyas.

Manisha Purohit (Kaveri)

I will be in Mumbai only this Diwali. For me, Diwali means family time and I love decorating my house with diyas and lights. Being a gujju there are a lot of items that I make and eat during this time. On Diwali, we do the puja and take blessings from our elders. I remember that during my childhood days, I used to be very excited to buy new clothes and colours for rangoli and later I used to burst crackers with my friends. However, once while bursting crackers, my firecracker went to the terrace and caught fire so for next few Diwalis, I stopped playing with crackers.