Bhumi Pednekar: My birthdays are always all about family, friends, food and sharing our joy with others – Exclusive – Times of India

Bhumi Pednekar turns a year wiser and gorgeous today. ETimes sat down with her for a candid chat where she spilled the beans on her birthday plans, crazy birthday memories, birthday wishes and more. Read on…

How are you planning to celebrate your birthday this year?
It is going to be a working birthday for me as I will be promoting ‘Raksha Bandhan’. I have been fortunate to have celebrated most of my birthdays with my family. Unfortunately, I won’t be there with them this time. I will be promoting my film which is very dear to me. Akshay Kumar, Aanand L Rai and others here are like family to me. So I am quite excited.

How do you usually celebrate the big day, when you are at home with your family?
I am very big on my birthdays. I am usually very excited about it. We have a big family get-together. My friends travel from different parts of the world. It usually goes on for two days. Day one will go into my mother cooking all the dishes that I love. There are many things sent over by my friends and other family members so it is like a food fest at home.

Apart from this celebration part, there is also a ritual that my family has been following since we were kids. We share our joy with the lesser privileged part of our society and that includes sending cakes and other food items to different institutions. We do this, not just for my birthday, but for every family member.

Tell us about one of your fondest birthday memories as a kid and a crazy one as a youngster.
I remember Mcdonald’s had just started off in India and there was this craze for happy meals. There was a room where children could celebrate their birthday parties and I remember being so excited. They used to have people in Ronald McDonald’s costumes, as well.

My dad was also very keen on my birthday celebrations. He used to give me surprises. Every year, around my birthday, a ‘Harry Potter’ book would release and I would be excited about it. It was very tough acquiring that book in Mumbai as it would always get sold out quickly. My dad would make sure he would get that book for me somehow. Either he would go himself or would send someone from the office to get it. That used to be my midnight surprise birthday gift.

I think now my birthdays have become a bit crazy because as an adult your equation with your family also changes. We used to drink chupke se when we were young. Now we can kind of have it with them. You are allowed to be open with them. My birthdays are always all about family, friends, food and sharing our joy with others.

What is your birthday wish for this year?
I want my mother to be healthy and have a long life. That is my biggest wish. I also want my sister and other family members to be happy and healthy as well because at the end of the day you want nothing more than the well being of your loved ones.