Holi 2025 | Apoorva Arora: Balconies in Delhi make Holi so much better than Mumbai- Dilli Dehat se

Mar 14, 2025 12:37 PM IST

Dilli ki kudi, actor Apoorva Arora plays Holi, and how! She relives her love, nostalgia of mohalla wars from her old days of celebrating the festival in Delhi.

A resident of West Delhi’s Ramesh Nagar, the 28-year-old is popular for her roles in web series such as College Romance and Family Aaj Kal as well as films like Akshay Kumar-starrer Holiday: A Soldier Is Never Off Duty (2014) and OMG: Oh My God! (2012).

Actor Apoorva Arora channels her dilli ki kudi vibe to celebrate Holi, in an exclusive shoot with HTCity.(Photo: Manoj Verma/HT)

Apoorva remembers how she would throw water balloons from one balcony to another while playing during Holi during her growing up years in Delhi.(Photo: Manoj Verma/HT)

This Holi, Apoorva plans to celebrate with her friends in Mumbai and doesn’t shy away from claiming: “The fact that we have balconies here makes dilli ki Holi better! Delhi mein ek balcony se doosri mein gubbare marte thhe. That’s not possible in Mumbai.”

Not just gubbare play-offs, but also gorging on delicious foods such as dahi bhalle and chhole bhature were a part of Apoorva's Holi celebrations while growing up. (Photo: Manoj Verma/HT) — Not just gubbare play-offs, but also gorging on delicious foods such as dahi bhalle and chhole bhature were a part of Apoorva’s Holi celebrations while growing up. (Photo: Manoj Verma/HT)

“Mohalla wars used to be a big thing during Holi when I was growing up in West Delhi,” recounts Apoorva, adding, “Ab pata chalta hai kitna galat kiya, but uss time toh jiske board ke exams hain usko colour lagaye bina Holi saphal nahin hoti thi (laughs)!”

At my parents’ home, every Holi the menu has to be different. From chhole bhature to chaat, my mum makes all these delicious foods. This year, I also plan to make dahi bhalle at my house party in Mumbai — meri mummy ki recipe… What else is there to live for!

Sharing an old incident incident, Apoorva recounts how she tore off a boy's T-shirt and vest in a bid to save her friend from being attacked with colours by a stranger. (Photo: Manoj Verma/HT) — Sharing an old incident incident, Apoorva recounts how she tore off a boy’s T-shirt and vest in a bid to save her friend from being attacked with colours by a stranger. (Photo: Manoj Verma/HT)

One to always have her friends’ back, Apoorva recalls how a low-key Holi during her childhood turned into a thrilling experience: “A boy opened the gate of my house from inside and entered the area where I was playing Holi with my friend. He might have seen my cousin leave just then and must have thought of some prank… I would have been in sixth class back then, yet grabbed him by the collar, tore his T-shirt and baniyaan (vest) phaad ke use ghar bheja. He had kind of attacked my friend with colour, how could I not defend her! My parents were watching us from inside and didn’t intervene because you know how it is jab bachchon ki ladai mein bade involve ho jate hain… I think seeing me pick my battle and win it, my parents too felt proud of the fact that I had grown up and learnt to handle a situation myself (smiles).”