Actress Himanshi Parashar, who is currently seen in Star Plus and Rahul Tewary Productions’ Udne Ki Aasha, says Holi for her has always been about family, fun and a lot of colourful memories — some sweet, some slightly painful.
Talking about what the festival means to her, she shares, “Holi, along with any festival, means family time to me. I make sure to be at home in Delhi with my family whenever a festival comes up. I believe festivals are meant to bring families together. I manage my commitments and schedule accordingly every time.”
The actress recalls a childhood Holi incident that made her extra cautious about colours. “I’ve used dishwashing bars, which are blue in colour, in my childhood. There are some colours called glass colours which are horrible! When I was a kid, someone played Holi with those colours with me, and it was very bad. It wasn’t coming off at all,” she says.
Desperate to remove the stubborn colour, she tried an unusual remedy. “I put my father’s after-shave lotion on a cotton ball and applied it to my face, and it burned! I still remember that day. Since that day, I make sure no one with colours other than natural gulaal comes near me!”
Despite that memory, her playful side remains intact. Laughing, she says, “If I were a Holi water balloon, I would target someone who hates Holi! I would scream ‘Bura na mano Holi hai!’ and run away!”
She also remembers a hilarious childhood prank that left her shocked and her brother in splits. “When I was a kid and had played Holi, according to me, I took a bath and freshened up, and some neighbour friends of ours asked for water from me, who were standing outside my home. My brother asked me not to go outside, but I was like, ‘Paani ko kabhi mana nahi karte.’ The moment I stepped outside, I was painted with stubborn colours on my face! I remember my brother laughed out loud seeing this!”
When it comes to Holi fashion, Himanshi loves keeping it classic. “I would like to wear crisp white to see the before and after of the day! I love colours!” she says, adding that the song ‘Balam Pichkaari’ from Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani instantly lifts her festive mood. “It charges me up.”
While she admits that as a child she would sometimes hide to escape colours — “I used to hide, no excuse needed” — now the festival is all about family bonding.
“As always, I’m in Delhi with my family! I won’t leave any chance to be with them! I have a little nephew who is a water baby. We have a small inflatable pool for him, and he just loves playing with it! I have many uncles and aunts in my family who live nearby, so it’s like a mela at my place whenever a celebration is there. So that’s my plan!”
