MUMBAI: Iqbal Khan is one of the most popular and handsome actors. He has acted in several soaps. He is known for shows like Pyaar Ko Ho Jaane Do, Dil Se Dil Tak and Kaisa Yeh Pyar Hai to name a few. The actor has been in Mumbai for nearly 19 years and feels a special connect with the Haji Ali Dargah.

In an interview, he revealed that all these years, he has followed the tradition of visiting it once every two months. So, it is only befitting that he decides to visit the iconic dargah ahead of Eid celebrations. He shared with Times of India, “It feels so nice to walk all the way from the main entrance to the dargah. Sometimes, I have tears rolling down my cheeks. It’s a beautiful experience. I make it a point to visit the Haji Ali Dargah around 5 am, when the first azaan is heard. I am perhaps the only person around at that time, apart from the people who take care of the dargah.”

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The actor also spoke about the Eid celebration that used to take place back home in Kashmir when he was a child. He said, “As kids, we used to look forward to the Eidi that we received with blessings from our elders. There was no accountability for the money collected as Eidi! My friends and I would take a bus to Dal Lake and then go for a shikara ride, before ending our outing with a vanilla ice-cream cone. That was how we spent our Eidi. Our parents never got to know that we were travelling all the way to Dal Lake. They assumed that we were somewhere nearby. Those were the times when we found immense happiness in small things.”

Speaking about how he plans to celebrate Eid in Mumbai, he further shared with the daily, “I will start with namaz at a mosque, come back home, and eat sheer khurma. I love the sheer khurma that my wife Sneha makes. It’s thick and cooked well. Unlike in Kashmir, there’s not much of visiting relatives here in Mumbai. So, we’ll probably go out for lunch. In cities, people tend to give each other space, so that everyone can celebrate the festival in their own way.”

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There is one thing that Iqbal is especially looking forward to this Eid: shopping with his daughter Ammaara. He said, “My wife fixes a budget for her, and she is expected to shop within it. However, since Sneha doesn’t accompany us when we go out shopping, I let Ammaara buy whatever she wants. She loves toys and I love this whole shopping experience with her.”