Varun Dhawan
Raksha Bandhan has been a festival the Dhawans have celebrated for the last 30 years
Upala KBR (DNA; August 29, 2015)

Varun Dhawan doesn’t have a sister. Even then, Raksha Bandhan has always been a big day in the Dhawan household because of eight cousin sisters who drop in to tie Varun and his brother Rohit’s rakhis. Varun left for Istanbul on Wednesday to shoot an ad campaign, post which he has to head to Iceland for a song shoot, but he flew down for a few hours to celebrate the festival with his family.

Dad David Dhawan confirms, “We celebrate Raksha Bandhan every year in a very big way and both my sons Rohit and Varun are present. The festival is usually celebrated by my wife Lali’s sisters and brothers at one of their homes in Mumbai. My brother Anil’s daughter Shilpa too joins us for the festival. Lali has two sisters and two brothers in Mumbai and today, we shall be celebrating the festival at one of Lali’s brothers’ houses in town.”

He lets us in on the celebrations. “Every year ek alag jagah mein celebration hota hai and the whole family makes sure they’re there. About 30 of us gather and celebrate Rakhi from noon to evening with a massive lunch and high tea. Lunch usually consists of all types of cuisines but the mithais, especially the jalebis, are special. The sisters and brothers, their children and our nieces and nephews including Manish Malhotra, who is Lali’s nephew, come for getting the rakhis tied.”

Everybody exchanges gifts, too. “All of us come bearing packets of gifts. I have been part of the celebrations for the last 30 years. Varun is definitely planning to attend. He flew down in the morning, and will leave by night. His cousins are very happy to meet him. Everyone makes it a point to come as it’s one of the few times in a year that the whole family comes together. The next time will be only during Diwali.”