Bollywood singer Akriti Kakar and her twin sisters Sukriti and Prakriti are celebrating Raksha Bandhan in a special way this year.

“For us Raksha Bandhan has always been about us. This auspicious day is about the sisters tying Rakhi to their brothers and he is entrusted with the responsibility to protect them irrespective of whether he is older or younger than them. But hum toh teen behenein hain and honestly, I, as the elder one, never missed having a brother or having a boy for a sibling. As a kid, I was determined to have a sibling and maine mannatein maangi, aur itne prayers kiye ki Bhagwan ji ne kaha hoga, ‘You take one plus one free’ and when I was eight, my sisters were born. We were raised in such a way that we never missed having a brother. If required, I can break people’s noses to protect my sisters! Protecting and standing up for each other came naturally to us,” says Akriti who is known for hits like Saturday Saturday (Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania), Iski Uski (2 States), Khudaya Khair (Billu).

Sukriti, who has worked on peppy numbers like Jhoome Jo Pathaan (Pathaan), Kar Gayi Chull (Kapoor & Sons) and others, confesses that their upbringing was such that they never missed a brother. She says, “I have been in a lot of situations when I don’t think even if I had a brother, I would be more protected than I have been with them. These two can say anything to me but if someone else says something then they will pounce. We have been raised thinking we are no less than men and that we are everything that we can be. Our parents would constantly make us believe in ourselves. We never needed a brother.”

With songs like Katra Katra (Alone), Hawa Hawa (Mubarakan) and other hits, the youngest sister, Prakriti too, has made a name for herself in the Hindi film music industry. She says, “There is no void in our lives because we don’t have a brother. I have two fiery sisters and so you cannot mess with me or with them! There have been so many situations when they have stood up for me in so many ways.”

The Kakar sisters have grown up tying rakhi to their father. “Raksha Bandhan is a sweet little celebration for all of us. All these years we have been tying rakhi on our Dad’s wrist as he is our bro and our father. Later, we began tying Rakhi to our brother-in-law Chirag and our pet dogs Audio and Popcorn. They remove in just ten seconds though!” says Prakriti.

Akriti adds, “Over the years we have created our own traditions and Rakhi is special for us. We anyway do what we are meant to do for Raksha Bandhan between the three of us and this year we also start our own new tradition and tie Rakhis to each other. It took a while to calculate how many rakhis we would all need.”

Prakriti adds, “Raksha Bandhan is all about protecting people you love and that is what we are celebrating this year. Whether it is our dad, our brother-in-law or each other.” Akriti quips, “And the best thing is that it is not just about the men in the family protecting us, it is vice-versa too!”

Akriti: Everyone! Kareena Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Alia Bhatt. But if Rekha ji ever does a movie, I would love to be her voice. Toh phir jeevan safal.

Prakriti: I think it's Priyanka Chopra. I’ve met her twice and the conversation I had with her was, ‘I really want to sing for you!’.

Sukriti: My voice would suit Kareena Kapoor Khan the most, I think. I have been a huge fan of hers all my life.

Akriti: I really want to work with Vishal Bharadwaj Ji. Not just because his music has a timeless quality but hamesha se I’ve been an ardent fan of the life that his music has, right from ‘Paani Paani Re’ days. And of course, A R Rahman Sir. I feel he brings out the best tonal quality and singing ability in every singer. Most singers sound different when singing for him than for other composers.

Sukriti: I have always had a dream to see myself as a singer in a Sanjay Leela Bhansali film. I’ve always dreamed about how my tonal quality would sound with him as a composer and what he would do with my voice. I’d love to work with him.

Prakriti: For me, it's Pritam Da any day! I have sung a few for him here and there but nothing has been released yet. I really love the way he casts his singers in a movie. It is amazing and it would be my life’s honour to sing something crazy for Pritam Da!