Playing pranks on your loved ones is a regular feature of Holi that makes the festival all the more exciting and mischievous.
Several famous Indian actors talked to Sputnik, describing their most enjoyable Holi pranks and recalling interesting incidents from past celebrations which they still cherish most.
Dancing All Day to the Beats of 'Dhol'
An ardent Holi lover, the actress Kavita Kaushik, 41, who shot to fame in her Hindi sitcom ‘FIR’, remembers a prank her father played on her when she was a child.
“A day before Holi, my exam results were out and I had scored low marks. My strict father was upset and told me I would not be allowed to celebrate Holi with my friends. I was very sad and depressed,” Kavita said.
“I woke up with a heavy heart the next day and saw my dad was not at home. Suddenly, I heard the sound of the dhol (musical drum) and as I opened the doors, I saw my dad standing there, with the dhol hanging by his neck and playing it with sticks. I went crazy.”
After Kavita had been tricked by her father, she had a blast afterwards, celebrating Holi in her neighbourhood.
“We visited all my friends' homes in the neighbourhood and my dad kept playing the dhol all day and we kept singing and dancing till sunset,” she said.
Still of Indian actress Kavita Kaushik playing Holi with her husband Ronnit Biswas
© Photo : Kavita Kaushik
Playing With Strong Colours, Throwing Eggs
For Indian television actress Sayantani Ghosh, 37, famous for shows including ‘Naagin’ and ‘Mahabharat’, Holi was a lot more fun in childhood than it is as an adult.
“During my school days, I used to celebrate Holi a lot with strong colours and get smeared in it from head to toe, so much so that when we used to return home, it was difficult for my family to recognise who was who," Sayantani said.
"The next day, when we went to school, my friends used to compete to see whose colour lasted the longest".
However, she said that the most wicked prank used to be people throwing eggs instead of water balloons.
“I have never tried this trick but I have witnessed my neighbours throwing eggs on passers-by from their balcony and inside. It was the weirdest thing to do,” she recalled.
Still of Indian actress Sayantani Ghosh
© Photo : Instagram/sayantanighosh0609/
The Bhang Effect
For many, Holi is incomplete without bhang, a type of cannabis which is served in a traditional sweet milk-based drink called thandai.
Drinking too much can lead to hallucinations and cause people to do bizarre things.
From incessant laughter, dancing non-stop for hours, binge eating, to crying or falling completely silent, celebs were happy to share their hilarious bhang experiences.
Actor Vishal Gandhi experienced something similar during his college days that left him laughing for hours until the effects of cannabis wore off.
The 33-year-old, who plays the lead role Tejvardhan Ahlwat in ZEE TV’s daily soap ‘Meet’, tells of a time when his friends tricked him by playing a mischievous prank.
“After graduation, my friends and I were looking for a job. During Holi, one of my friends said that he had finally got hired to distribute sweets to everyone. I had no idea that the sweets also contained bhang (cannabis). We trusted him and ate three or four sweets after which I went on a laughter trip,” Vishal said.
“When I woke up, my jaws and cheeks were hurting. I didn’t remember what I'd done or said. So, when I asked my friends what had happened, they showed me a video in which I kept laughing and saying ‘duniya mast hai, aur mai bhi mast hu’ [the world is great, I am also great],” Vishal added.
Still of Indian actor Vishal Gandhi celebrating Holi
© Photo : Instagram
The popular ancient Hindu festival of colours celebrates the triumph of good over evil and also marks the beginning of Spring in India.
People throw gulaal (powdered colours) at each other, splash water, sing, dance, and eat traditional delicacies such as thandai (a milk-based drink) and pakoras (fried snacks).