EID special: Gauahar Khan takes a day off to celebrate the first Bakrid after her wedding

Every festival is important but the first celebration always holds a certain charm. And Gauahar Khan, who tied the knot with Zaid Darbar in December, is excited about her first Eid ul-Adha. “Last year was the first time, Zaid met my mum on Eid and this will be my first after our wedding, so it is special. I am shooting right now in Delhi and will fly to Mumbai only for the day for the celebrations. Though my in-laws are sweet and understanding, I wouldn’t want to miss it for anything,” she exclaims.

The story of Bakra Eid is that Allah wanted to test his followers and asked Prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice what is most precious to him, says Khan, adding, “So, when he decided to sacrifice his own son, Allah loved the gesture so much that he turned the sacrifice into a lamb and spared the son. There’s the quarbani of a goat and you give three-fourth of the portion to the needy or an orphanage, so the people in need get food and a feast essentially. There are two major festivals that we celebrate. Eid-ul-Fitr marks the end of the Holy month of Ramzan, Eid ul-Adha concludes the annual Hajj pilgrimage by Islamic devotees. The celebration is also for the ones who have completed the Hajj and others pray and fast at the same time as they do to feel a part of their journey,” she shares.

Khan is also missing her father, who passed away in March, and recalls how he would take her to select the goats. “He taught us how to take care of them, treating them right, even in death and doing it with respect. My memory of my father spending that time with us are precious, including getting Eidi. It will be my first Eid without him so there are many mixed emotions,” she says.

Zaid and Gauahar recently returned from a trip to Russia where they spent quality time together. “It was a honeymoon trip as we couldn’t go anywhere post our wedding. We both had work and though we visited a few citites in India, most were work-related. So when we learnt that Russia is open for tourists and we were hoping for a holiday, so we went ahead. We took all precautions and really enjoyed ourselves. People over there weren’t taking as much care as we were (laughs). It was a lot of fun and there were so many things to do. With everything that we have been through in this year, it was perfect,” says the Tandav actor.

She realises that travelling amid the pandemic is “a luxury and realising and value that is important”. “After you lose a loved one, you know you have to move on. It takes time but you have to. I can’t never replace my dad and his loss will always remain with me. Similarly, all of us will have to come to terms with the situation we are in today and start having a life again. The way to do that is to be responsible not just towards yourself but everyone else. Be careful about things you do and take all safety measures possible,” she says.

The actor is looking forward to the release of her next 14 phere, where she plays “Delhi ki Meryl Streep”. Talking about the role she says, “Getting noticed for your character is fabulous. I am grateful to my director as has derived wonderful performances from everyone. He is trying to make entertaining cinema with a relevant message. I am elated knowing that the response to the trailer was fab. I really enjoyed the song Chamak too, which has a massy feel and fun dance number. Every role counts and after Tandav’s response, things have been great. The more commercial, mainstream and plum roles you get, and you perform well, it adds to you career. I feel good work gets one good work and more appreciation. I have another show on an OTT platform and three music videos lined up for release this year,” she signs off.