Special Puja organised on Shekhar Shukla’s birthday on the ‘Anupamaa’ sets
This birthday was extra special for actor Shekhar Shukla, who celebrated it on the sets of Rajan Shahi’s Anupamaa on the 6th of November. The actor says that a special puja was organised on the sets that day and the team was delighted to know that it was his birthday as well. “No one knew it was my birthday on the set. There was a hawan that has been organised on that day and when I reached, I said that this is my lucky day as today we have a hawan and it is also my birthday. Everyone was so happy to hear this. There were special prayers also that the pandit said for me since it was my birthday. Then the arti happened. After that a cake was organised too and all of us cut it together. It was like a double celebration. I was anyway carrying sweets for everyone,” he says.
The actor says that he makes sure that he gets to work on all his birthdays. “I prefer that on every big festival, birthday or anything else, I am shooting. I feel I must work, especially on these days. I don’t believe in taking holidays on these days. I feel whatever I am is because of my work. So, I feel I am very lucky if I am getting to work on these special days,” he says.
Shekhar also had a party once he finished shooting. “Luckily, that day, we packed up at 5pm and I went home. Due to the pandemic, we could not call anyone or go out anywhere. But my family and I ordered food from outside and had a little party. I am a Gujarati Brahmin and I don’t smoke or drink, so we just enjoyed delicious food. It was just us, no one came from outside,” he says.
He adds, “This birthday was my best birthday as initially, I had not thought of celebrating it due to the pandemic. But I was lucky as on the sets there was a hawan plus I got to cut my birthday cake and I got to shoot on that day as well. At home, we celebrated at 12 in the night like we always do at our house. I am an artist and 80 per cent of the time, I am not in Mumbai and am not with my wife and children, which is why this birthday meant a lot to me.”