Actor Iqbal Khan, who was last seen in the film 'Jalsa' with Vidya Balan, will be celebrating Eid with his family. The Free Press Journal caught up with the actor for an exclusive interaction. Excerpts:
What are your plans for Eid this year?
The plan is going to be simple as every year. However, we are almost Covid-free so we might step out for a meal. We always make sure that we don't put anybody under pressure at home for cooking delicacies. We make sure in the morning we have a nice breakfast and we step out for lunch for sure. We'll finish namaaz in the morning and then maybe after giving a little bit of Eidi to the children, we'll head out for lunch.
Finally, after 2 years there are no COVID 19 restrictions on Eid.
It's a great feeling. We are not celebrating Eid how we did in the last two years. The last two to three years have been tough but God has been kind. We are alive and that's more than anything else. Otherwise, I think it will be a nice change to step out and go to the mosque for namaaz.
What is your best Eid memory?
My memory of Eid would go back to my childhood days in Kashmir. I and my friends used to accumulate our Eidis and then from our colony we used to take a ride to Nehru Park in Dal Lake. We used to go for a shikara ride there and also go to Kabutarkhana there and swim. Then we used to go to Lal Chowk and eat softy. That was like a big big deal.
What is your favorite part of the festival?
Favourite part of the festival is the happiness of being together and realise how blessed we are that we are celebrating Eid together as a family and that we love each other. It's a blessing that you are under one roof, you're celebrating and you're with your family members who love you and who you love. That is the biggest thing.
What's your favorite Eid delicacy? Do you cook?
I don't cook. Although I can survive if I have to cook. I'm a very basic cook, dal chawal type. But otherwise, as I said earlier, we don't put pressure on anyone on Eid to be stuck in the kitchen. We always step out on Eid for a meal together. My favorite delicacy is firni made by my mother. Otherwise, sheer khurma made by my wife Sneha. It's very different from the normal sheer khurma you see in Bombay.
What will be your Eid wish this year?
My wish for Eid will be that we love each other as countrymen and as human beings. And that we concentrate on our work and take care of our families. Nothing else should matter and apart from that, we should just stand with each other no matter what. We should just love each other as countrymen and nothing should divide us at all.
