Lohri, 2021, is quite special for Pulkit Samrat. No, he isn’t celebrating it with his family, but he’s excited that he has begun shooting for a film today after a long gap of one year due to the pandemic. “I’m glad that I am working on this day. I am on the sets of Suswagatam Khushamadeed. We are shooting for a dance number. I am facing the camera exactly after a year on a film set. After so long, it feels fresh, as if it’s my first day as an actor on a set,” says Pulkit.

While he’s shooting in Mumbai, back home in Delhi, the day will be quite eventful. He elaborates, “My sister just got married, so it’s her first Lohri post wedding. It’s a big thing in a Punjabi household. I will be connecting with my family, later in the day, over a video call. They are a mad bunch of people who will walk around the entire house with the phone in their hand (laughs!).”

As he fondly talks about his sister, Pulkit gets nostalgic about celebrating the festival as a kid. Reminiscing his childhood days, the Pagalpanti actor adds, “I grew up in a joint family. What I remember is my family members gathering planks of wood from the old furniture in the house.”

“Lohri ki date toh pata nahi hoti thi, but the moment you see family members gathering planks of wood, you realise that the festival is coming soon. I used to be amused to see a pyramid being set up using the wood, which is then lit up. I would try to make one myself with the wooden planks but would fail miserably. It was fun doing the rounds of the holy fire while throwing peanuts and gajak into it,” Pulkit says.

Given that he is far away from family, we ask if his Punjabi girlfriend, actress Kriti Kharbanda, is doing something special in Mumbai. “Kriti is half-Punjabi and half-South Indian, so it’s a double celebration for her as Pongal is on January 14. However, she is busy shooting, too. It’s the last day of her shoot, while it’s the first day of my shoot.”

The other family member who’s much excited during such a special occasion is the couple’s pet dog Drogo. Pulkit says, “Drogo is a part of all our celebrations. Whenever he hears us wishing anyone ‘Happy birthday’, even on the phone, he gets super excited. He thinks he will be treated to some delicious food. For him, a celebration is peanut butter, peanut butter cookies, cake and a new toy.”