From having countless glasses of bhang to dancing for hours: TV celebs recall their crazy Holi celebrations

Big bashes with rain dance, pool parties and bhang – Holi has always been synonymous with these. But like last year, the pandemic has proven to be a dampener when it comes to celebrating the festival of colours this year as well. So, even those who were used to wild fun at Holi will now be enjoying a low-key festival with family and few close friends. We reached out to a few TV actors, who shared with us the memories of some crazy fun they had on Holi in the years before the COVID pandemic hit:

The last crazy Holi was in Mumbai in 2019. I was with my friends and for the first time, my mom wasn’t there with me. We had those mini pools of coloured water and while playing, the colour got into my eyes and I even swallowed some. I was puking. I felt so sick that I had to be taken to the doctor. I was crying and I had to even get an injection.

One of the crazy Holis was when someone added bhang in my thandai. I jumped into the pool – I don’t even know how to swim. But since I’m six feet tall and the pool was just four feet deep, I was safe. My friends and I were in the pool till evening, but after that experience, I ensure no one serves bhang to me at Holi parties in any form.

Aarti Singh: I was beaten by mom when I had bhang for the first time

I think it was in 2008 that I had bhang with my best friend, Sneha. Pehle chadhi nahi and I had one more glass and ate lots of gujiya as I wasn’t feeling anything. But baad mein jo meri band baji hai... it hit me hard! I felt that I was flying and I was beaten up by my mom. Mukke hi mukke pade thay mujhe uss Holi pe!

Abigail Pande: I danced so much that I suffered from heat stroke

I don’t play Holi anymore, but the last time I actually played, I spent so much time in the rain dance that I got a heat stroke and fainted! I woke up 15 minutes later, drank nimbu paani, rested for half an hour, and started dancing again (laughs).

Tina Datta: I would carry gulal to school and play Holi with my friends

My best Holi memories are from back home in Kolkata. I grew up in a joint family and on Holi, not just our family, but friends and neighbours would celebrate together. My brother would be the most excited and he’d paint his face blue and black. I would carry gulal to school a few days before Holi and play with friends in school after classes.

Last time I celebrated Holi was on the sets of Patiala Babes. Everybody was waiting for the last shot to get over, and in the meanwhile, they were secretly planning a Holi surprise. There came a point when people thought the shoot was over and started splashing water and throwing colours at each other, but the shoot wasn’t actually over. Ashnoor (Kaur) and I had to get ready again, and I had to go home, take shower and return to the shoot!

I have some amazing memories of Holi where we danced a lot and ate amazing food. It was a Holi party with my friends, including Shashank Vyas. Also, I remember that once, I gate crashed a Holi party with my friends. It was at someone’s home in the same building where I stayed and I had a great time with the host.

The craziest Holi I ever celebrated was when I had bhang for the first (and the last) time in my life. I was laughing the whole day and it was like a scene from a movie. I can’t remember the details, but it was an experience that I’ll never forget. I miss the crazy Holi parties that we used to have and I am hoping next year we get to go crazy again on Holi.

Like all other festivals, Holi is celebrated in a grand way in my hometown, Jaipur. People have good food, they drink, dance and celebrate the whole day. I have so many memories of some crazy Holi celebrations in Jaipur. I remember that once, I enjoyed the rain dance at a Holi party for five hours. I was dancing continuously and that was lot of fun, but now when I think of it, it was crazy!

I think the best Holi that I had in recent years was in 2019. It was with the cast of The Kapil Sharma Show (TKSS). One of the writers hosted a Holi party, and it was one crazy celebration wherein we all played with colours, danced and had fun the entire day. It is definitely one of the best Holi party that I ever attended.

I remember crazy Holi celebrations when I was in school. Being from an Army background, we’d play Holi in our locality. One time, I decided to go outside my locality on a bike with my friend. We got stuck with people celebrating Holi with paints, and they painted us black and silver. For days, I scrubbed my face and that colour didn’t go. I was so petrified that I didn’t play Holi for years! In Mumbai, I’ve been to some crazy Holi parties with friends like Ayub and Hussain, playing in mud and water.

The wildest Holi celebration I ever had was at a party at a Gurgaon café. I went with my friends and had too much bhang. Though I don't remember much of what I did after consuming so much bhang, my friends told me I was selling balloons on the road and created a lot of drama. I actually had goosebumps when my friends told me what all I did after having bhang!