Ayushmann & Sanya say 'Holi ki Badhaai Ho!' in Delhi

Ayushmann Khurrana and Sanya Malhotra have been shooting in Delhi for the last two weeks for Junglee Pictures’ upcoming movie 'Badhaai Ho'. Though the actors are busy with shooting, the two took out some time the day before Holi to celebrate on the sets.
"We are not very fond of Holi. Papa ne kabhi ghar mein khelne hi nahi diya," Ayushmann tells us, but Delhi girl Sanya is well aware of the infamous Dilliwali Holi and is used to being thrown in keechad.The Gargi College alumna also tells us about her college Holi celebrations with friends and the college dogs!

Movies and Food on holi
While for Sanya, Holi is all about spending time with family and eating her favourite food, rajma chawal, Ayushmann says that as a kid he mostly spent Holi watching movies at home.
"My father never liked Holi, so as kids, we used to go out and play Holi while he was at work on the day before the festival. We were not allowed to play Holi because my dad used to think that there were hooligans roaming outside on Holi, but those hooligans were our friends (laughs)! Holi always used to clash with our exams, so on the day of the festival, we used to study, and watch movies," says Ayushmann.
Sanya adds, "I don’t have any crazy Holi experiences, but I remember I once had a fight with a guy in my colony, 'ki rang kyun lagaya'. In fact, Holi for me is all about food. My mother makes 'thandai' and 'gujiya'. It is a very simple festival for me, and I sit with my family in the afternoon, and there’s always rajma chawal on the menu, a dish that I really love."

Gargi’s Holi was fun: Sanya
She is an alumna of Gargi College, and during her three years in college, Sanya remembers playing Holi with her friends, society members and even the college dogs. "I have celebrated Holi in my college with the two college dogs, Chunnu and Munnu, they are still there. We used to chill across the road from the college, and I remember playing Holi with my friends and members from the choreography society there," she says.
Talking about the hooliganism that takes place in campus during Holi, Sanya adds, "When I was in college, I did not experience anything of that sort. There used to be a PCR van outside our college all the time. I am not saying that just because I did not experience it so it does not happen with anyone. I am sure 'bahut ladkiyon ko yeh' problem 'ho rahi hogi', either on their way to college, or within the campus. I hope joh bhi complaints kari ja rahi hain, unpe action liya jaye.”
Ayushmann Khurrana and Sanya Malhotra take time out from their shoot to play with colours in Delhi
The keechad-wali Holi
Since Ayushmann and Sanya are currently shooting, the two say that it is a good excuse for them to stay away from chemical colours and keechad. "The way Holi is celebrated in some parts of the country is really not cool. It is supposed to be a happy festival, but people throw eggs on each other or throw each other in keechad, aise thode hi hota hai," says Ayushmann.
Sanya, who has grown up in east Delhi, says she would often end up in keechad on Holi. "Har Holi pe keechad kahin na kahin se toh aa hi jata hai. I think for me, it is very normal to have keechad-wali Holi," she adds.
Sharing his experience with keechad-wali Holi, Ayushmann says, "I always imagined Holi to be very filmi, so when I joined theatre in Chandigarh and our theatre group was having a Holi party at someone’s farmhouse, I chose to wear a crisp white kurta-pyjama and safa for the party. I reached the party and thought it will be like a filmi scene, my friends and I would throw gulaal in the air and we would dance. I used to wear glasses in those days, and my friends came and took my glasses and mobile phone and picked me up. I thought, ‘this is amazing’, I was already feeling like a hero, and then they threw me in keechad! I was a clean canvas when I entered the party, and then there was keechad everywhere, it was horrible!"
Holi Hai!
Mumbai’s filmi Holi parties
Ayushmann might like to stay away from Holi celebrations in Delhi and Chandigarh, but he has enjoyed the Holi parties in Mumbai. "I like the vibe of Holi, but I think the concoction that we have made, the hooliganism which is connected to this festival should be avoided. All these filmi Holi parties in Mumbai are cool, they are exactly like what we see in films. Two years ago, we had this Holi party in Lonavala, it was a very decent party with organic colours. It was sanitized," says Ayushmann.
Sanya moved to Mumbai a few years back, but she says that she has never felt the need to be at Holi parties just for the sake of it. "I am not a very party person, I like to be with my family and friends. I am an introvert and that’s how I like it," she says.
Rang Barse!
Ayushmann’s bhang experience
Ayushmann tells us that he once had bhang thandai when he was in college 10 years ago. He says that though he is a teetotaller, that was the one time when he went crazy. "I once had bhang, and after that I was one of the hooligans who are out on Holi! People pretend they forget what they did after having bhang, but everyone remembers. I think I stripped, maybe not completely!" he shares. Sanya adds, "I have never had bhang. I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I think I am a bit boring that way."