Kanksha Vasavada (BOMBAY TIMES; September 29, 2025)

While he doesn’t get much time to celebrate Navratri now, “playing garba is therapeutic and a great stressbuster” for Amar Upadhyay.

The Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi actor, who was born and brought up in Mumbai, shares, “I miss playing garba. During my childhood, I used to play garba every day during Navratri. But now, I am usually busy with work and so, I just visit garba venues for appearances. This time, I am shooting daily during Navratri, so I haven’t been to any event. Once I moved to Malad, regular celebrations became rare. We would take our children to garba events till the time they turned teenagers. Now, they go out on their own whenever possible.” Excerpts from a chat:

‘My father used to sing garbas’
I grew up in Kandivali, and Navratri was always fun. My friends and I would be excited the moment we saw the tempo filled with mandap ka saaman, and people setting it up. My father is a singer; he used to sing garbas at our pandal which was located between two housing societies, and we used to play garba. We waited for the weekend, as Saturday ko puri raat garba chalta tha. Hum garba khelne ke baad chai pite thay, prasad khaate thay. There were no garba classes then, so my friends and I used to decide every day that aaj yeh step karenge (laughs). My childhood memories of Navratri are fantastic. I prefer donning only traditional outfits, especially simple kurta-pyjamas. As kids, we got new kurtas every Navratri and wore them. Phir last ke dino mein wohi kurtas repeat bhi karte thay (laughs).

‘Filmi songs have no connection to the festival’
I believe old is gold. The garba songs we have grown up listening to are the actual ones. Today, we hear filmi songs during Navratri, which have no connection to the festival. Understandably, everything has become commercial now. But I feel Navratri playlists shouldn’t lose the Gujarati touch. There are so many garba and folk songs in our culture which are so rich, so why not do garba on those? We (Gujaratis) are known for our garba songs across the world, so we should preserve and cherish them.

‘Navratri celebrations in my hometown are very traditional’
I am from Bhiloda, and Navratri celebrations there are beautiful, pure, traditional and wholesome. I was there for Navratri some years ago, and we celebrated every day. We played garba all night and used to sleep all morning. My father and aunt used to sing garba there, and be it dance steps or outfits, everything is traditional. My father still goes there every year and shares pictures and videos.
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Upala KBR (MID-DAY; September 30, 2025)

Life has not been the same ever since Amar Upadhyay returned as his most-loved character Mihir Virani in Ektaa R Kapoor’s Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2. The reactions to the popular show have left him overwhelmed and thrilled. The best part is the ever-changing landscape of television, shares the actor.

“I am enjoying it more than the first season because of the different scenes, better writing, level of performances, and the way it is shot. Technological enhancements like the camera setups [have advanced]. We can shoot in one flow and close-ups can be taken simultaneously with the master shots,” explains the actor.

Upadhyay laughs when Smriti Irani and he are referred to as the Kajol and Shah Rukh Khan of television. He says, “Mihir and Tulsi are the OGs of romance.”

However, he feels that their experience of working together for years translates on screen. He notes, “We just read our lines and know what is required for the scene, what can make it stronger, and more impactful.”

While storytelling has changed, what thrills Upadhyay is the flood of offers pouring in — from movies, TV shows, to web series. He has greenlit a few roles that see him play a cop and a lawyer among others, but finding time for everything has become a challenge.

“I have been approached to play a cop in one, along with a superstar. It’s been a dream to play a policeman or lawyer or maybe do a love story or hardcore gangster role. I got another offer for a crime drama on OTT, but because I am shooting every day, I haven’t been able to do many meetings,” he says.

The daily soap, said to air for another six months, has the actor working 28 days a month. So much so that when a TV show came his way, he had to let it go. “I am so tied up with Kyunki... that I cannot take them up as Mihir and Tulsi are there in almost every scene,” he signs off.