Christmas During the Pandemic! Bollywood Celebs Celebrate With a Difference

04:00 GMT, 25 December 2020

Sangeeta Yadav

Lockdown in India may have ruined many celebs' Christmas plans, but these Bollywood stars know how to party in any situation.

Sputnik

Christmas celebrations this year might be a little more subdued thanks to the pandemic but Bollywood celebrities are making the most of it despite Mumbai's evening curfew and the other restrictions imposed by the Maharashtra government to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Many celebrities have cancelled holiday plans and lavish Christmas parties, being forced instead to stay at home. However, this has turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Bollywood superstar Ayushmann Khurrana and his wife Tahira Kashyap Khurrana as some of their relatives live in Chandigarh, where the former is currently shooting a movie called Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui.

"It's been a decade since I last spent New Year with family in Chandigarh. I will be fortunate to spend Christmas and New Year with them this year and I know it will be priceless," he told Indian media.

Having set up the X’mas tree decked up with lights and décor, and gifts for the loved ones, the celebs are making sure the pandemic doesn’t dampen the festive spirit.

Many Bollywood celebs, including Karisma Kapoor, Ananya Panday, Shilpa Shetty Kundra, and Erica Fernandes offered their social media followers a glimpse of how they like to party during lockdown.

Indian-British actress Banita Sandhu, who is based in the UK, feels fortunate to be with her family during lockdown in London due to the emergence of a new coronavirus strain.

“Luckily, my family and I are together for Christmas. As most of the UK is in lockdown, we’re just staying home and enjoying our time together. Grateful to have gotten through this year safely. Work should start back up early next year hopefully,” she told Sputnik.

Actress Evelyn Sharma surprised her fans by flaunting her baking skills and making a lip-smacking gingerbread house.

Decked out in red and black for a house party, actors Keith Sequeira and Rochelle Rao are gearing up for a small get together with their close friends at home.

“We have planned for a small Xmas dinner with one of my closest friends to keep the xmas spirit alive. It’s just four people. Due to night curfew in the city, we are planning to start early and end early,” Keith told Sputnik.

Actress Juhi Chawla, who is on a holiday with family in Uganda, Africa, told Sputnik, "Christmas is always about family reunion over vacation. This time, we happen to be in Uganda as my in-laws stay here most of the year. It's breathtaking to be close to nature amid green fields, sugarcane farms, lots of birds like peacocks. What can be better than spending time with them and having a Christmas holiday with kids and elders."

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For actress Aashka Goradia and her husband yoga-guru Brent Goble, Christmas is usually spent with the in-laws in America. But this time, it's just the two of them. “Christmas is going to be low-key and away from Brent’s family due to the pandemic,” Aashka told Sputnik.

One of the highlights of India's festive season is the release of blockbuster movies – this year cinemas are still set to be bustling, albeit with strict COVID restrictions in place. Two movies, Wonder Woman 1984 and Shakeela will be released on 25 December, so too Coolie No.1 on streaming service OTT.