Mumbai, Nov 4 — Actress Shefali Shah has given a humorous glimpse into her Diwali cleaning routine. She shared a list of forgotten household items, old diaries, and an unusually large collection of ponchos that she finds difficult to part with.
Taking to Instagram, the ‘Darlings’ actress described Diwali Safai as an excuse to become a “lean, mean cleaning machine." From old ketchup sachets and perfume bottles with just a little fragrance left to medicines that have long outlived their usefulness, the actress shared several amusing discoveries from her cleaning spree.
She also spoke about a tea set that she jokingly claimed had been received from Queen Victoria. Despite bringing it out every Diwali, she puts it back because it is too pretty to use.
“Diwali Safai is a beautiful excuse to turn into a lean, mean cleaning machine. Out come the prehistoric ketchup sachets, that sari which is saved only for its border (waits, this is called hope couture), perfume bottles all left with a residue of whiff, medicines unable to save even themselves.”
“The fact that it’s still brand new after decades should be sign enough that we mere mortals shouldn’t try to inculcate high tea in place of masala chai. But who knows, some day I may be Queen,” she added.
Shah also mentioned an overused pan that has been scrubbed repeatedly but is still not ready to be discarded. She then listed several old diaries, gift baskets and nearly 22 water bottles, some with missing lids, faded prints, or damaged straws.
However, the most amusing part of her post was her confession about owning an overwhelming number of ponchos despite having visited Norway and Finland only once.
“Whoever the hell has so many ponchos needs to be ponched. Not me!” she joked, adding that she might gift some of them to her friends, who could apparently use them in Mumbai's sweltering heat.
Shefali further quipped that her children would eventually inherit gift baskets, wrapping paper and countless pages from her old diaries. Comparing the collection of written pages to several famous literary works, she joked that there was enough material to rewrite books such as ‘The Atlas Shrugged’, ‘Les Misérables’ and ‘A Suitable Boy’, along with multiple volumes of ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘Game of Thrones.'
Wrapping up her hilarious account, the actress listed her Diwali cleaning discoveries: 65 empty perfume bottles, 22 water bottles, 16 and a half ponchos, an over-scrubbed pan and a teapot. “Happy Diwali, darlings,” she signed off.
Work-wise, Shefali Shah has several projects lined up, including the upcoming film ‘The Pride of Bharat – Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’, which is scheduled to release on January 21, 2027. Directed by Sandeep Singh, the film will feature Shefali in the role of Rajmata Jijabai.