Having just wrapped up the shoot of his next, actor Ali Fazal is looking forward to the festivity. “For me, Eid means being with family. And this year, I will be with my granny in Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh),” he shares, adding that for most people, Eid is “a quiet affair”, which includes spending time with family. But, with the last two years of the Coronavirus pandemic restricting movement and altering festive plans of many, he is happy that things have changed.

“People couldn’t meet family members, visit each other’s homes or pray at the mosque due to the restrictions during the last two years. But now, things are much better. I am glad that everyone will be able to celebrate and meet their loved ones. I will have a quiet Eid, with just close family at home. We want to remember the people we lost in the last two years. I think the country has suffered a lot, so I am not in a celebratory mood,” says the Mirzapur actor, who lost his mother and maternal grandfather during the pandemic.

The 35-year-old remembers the good times he would have with his maternal grandfather during Eid. “Celebrating the festival with my nana used to be really memorable. We would go to a mosque together and there were certain rituals that I’d look forward to. Every year, I would be in Lucknow, celebrating Eid with him. The festival is always about buying new clothes and dressing up. Ramzan, the long month of fasting, ends in flourish and feast,” he ends.