Diwali special: Shilpa Rao and husband Ritesh happy to celebrate with their parents after long time

This is singer Shilpa Rao and husband Ritesh Krishnan’s first Diwali after marriage and it is going to be an intimate affair for the couple. With both sets of parents with them, Rao says things had to be consciously different.

“Every Diwali, it was an unsaid rule that all my friends will come home for the festival and there would be a party. But since last year, it has been different. We are lucky that both our parents are here, it is going to be just family,” says the Bulleya (Ae Dil Hai Mushkil; 2016) singer, adding that both her and Krishnan are against bursting crackers. “My brother, Anurag was afraid of them, so we don’t burst them,” she tells us.

Meanwhile, Krishnan reveals he would wait “eagerly” for the day. “I always used to celebrate it with my mum, dad and sister. Luckily, after 10 long years they are here with me in Mumbai. I am very happy I get to celebrate with them after so long,” he remarks.

Going down memory lane, Rao also recalls how she used to pray that the festival of lights falls on a week day “so we would have an extended holiday”.

While the 37-year-old is happy that her parents are here, she misses her brother dearly. She says, “This year, Anurag is not here, he is in Paris for higher studies. We are going to miss him a lot. I wish we could send him food, maybe parcel it, but it is not that simple. With Ritesh and our parents, I hope to spend a great day.”

To make sure that everyone feels special on Diwali, Rao makes it a point to buy things for the day only from small vendors. “Every Diwali we would wear new clothes. In fact, even now, if my parents or grandparents are not with me on any Diwali, they ask me if I have got a new dress. It is important for us, as people to understand the relevance so that we are also helping artists. You need to factor that in, and understand that there should be equal opportunities for everyone. You should buy diyas from local artists and support them. It is important to stand together on festive occasions,” she concludes