New father Aparshakti Khurana: Plan to give all my time to Arzoie on her first Lohri

This year’s Lohri is extra special for actor Aparshakti Khurana because it is his first with his daughter, Arzoie. The actor plans to spend the entire day with her and even have her share of ‘rewaris, phullas and the moongfali’.

“This is Arzoie’s first Lohri and we (Aakriti Ahuja, wife and I) would have loved to have our extended family and close friends join the celebration. But that won’t be possible because of the surge in cases. There would just be us now but I am still looking forward to it because it’s my little one’s first,” Khurana tells us.

Walking down the memory lane, he recalls his memories associated with the festival, “I have many good childhood memories associated with Lohri and the vibrancy of this festival. The songs, the dances, the coming together of families will always be something I’ll cherish”.

“Mumma makes us chant Til Sarhey Paap Sarhey Paapiyaan De Paap Jadhien. I can’t wait for Arzoie to grow up and chant the same in front of the holy fire with her mouth full of popcorn and rewaris,” he says.

The Helmet star continues, “Arzoie is too small right now to learn about this festival but I plan to give all my time to her and even have her share of ‘rewaris, phullas and the moongfali! Even if it ruins my calorie count for the day”.

The family intended to go celebrate the festival in Khurana’s hometown, Chandigarh. However, they will now celebrate it in Mumbai, as Khurana mentions, “we want everyone around us to be safe and sound and hence thought to alter the plans a little and have an intimate Lohri celebration”.

“To be honest, being stuck in a pandemic isn’t a nice feeling altogether but we need to be conscious citizens and do our bit to come out of it instead of fretting over,” adds the 34-year-old.

According to Khurana, the harvest festival is about prosperity, warmth and most importantly, health — all of which are crucial in the pandemic era.

“These things become really important because this year we’ll need to not just pray but also actively do something for our health and the health of others. Most of which includes staying at homes or stepping only if necessary and not to forget taking necessary precautions,” he says while concluding with a prayer.

“I wish that this 2022 becomes the year when we become Covid free and can finally go back to the old normal while taking the new lessons that this Covid era has taught us,” he ends on an optimistic note.