It’s her first Lohri post shaadi, and Rakul Preet Singh, who tied the knot with Jackky Bhagnani in February 2024, is excited to celebrate the festival with the family she’s married into. The actress exclusively posed for us dressed in traditional finery and spoke about the many memories associated with the festival and how she plans to celebrate it this year.

Rakul says, “Every festival is about getting the family together and enjoying the festivities. Today, on Lohri, I am looking forward to spending time with my family. I am going to miss my maa ke haath ka khaana. There is some magic in mom-made food. Every time I visit my parents in Delhi, I tell my mom what to cook for breakfast, lunch and dinner, so I can relish it to the fullest,” says Rakul, who loves indulging in garma-garam sarson ka saag and makki ki roti on this occasion.

The De De Pyaar De actress shares that her husband Jackky, who is Sindhi, is more Punjabi than she is. “My brother (Aman Preet) always jokes that Jackky is Punjabi and I am Sindhi. I, too, think that Jackky is a dilkhush Punjabi… he is more like khule dil khaana peena. I have also taught him some Punjabi words like khota (silly), siyapa (problem) and meesana (cunning). That has become our language when we have to communicate something when others are present,” she says.

Rakul gets nostalgic and fondly remembers her childhood memories of celebrating Lohri in her Delhi home. She recalls, “On Lohri, I always remember the celebration we would have as kids with our grandparents. We used to sing songs like Sunder Mundriye, and in return, they would give us gifts and money. My brother and I would compete to see who gets the most gifts. We would have a big bonfire on the terrace or lawn, which was perfect as it would be very cold in Delhi.”

During all these years, even with a busy working schedule, the actress has mostly tried to be home during the festival. However, she recounts the time when she celebrated Lohri on a film set. “I remember shooting for Aiyaary (2018) on Lohri. We had a bonfire on set and threw moongfali, gud and other things into the fire as offerings,” she says. Talking about the custom of dancing around the bonfire, she adds, “I can’t do gidda, maybe I can see others and copy a step or two, but yes, I can do bhangra.”