MUMBAI: The last two years have been tough on everyone due to the pandemic. But this year, Diwali will be different and special, says actor Hiten Paintal. The actor says that he is looking forward to enjoying the festival with full fervour this year.

“I love all the Indian festivals. I stay in the Lokhandwala complex and it’s decorated so well. The entire vibes are so amazing. Everyone is dressed in lovely clothes and we meet and greet each other and it’s so lovely,” he says, adding, “For the last two years, due to the pandemic, we didn’t have big plans but before that we used to have Diwali parties starting a month before Diwali. We used to go to our friends’ places, play cards and binge on food. This year things are coming back to normal so I am going to be in Mumbai, let’s see how it goes.”

Ask him what he usually does for Diwali, and he says, “We don’t follow any rituals as such. We do pooja at home and light up diyas and decorate the house very well. There is Diwali cleaning and we eat good food.”

Talking about his fondest childhood memories, he says that the fact that he could eat as much as he wants was something that he misses. “In my childhood, my cousins used to come or we used to go to their place. We used to burn crackers together and have lots of fun. In our childhood days, we could eat all the sweets in the world and didn’t have to worry about gaining weight!” he says.