How to Celebrate a Birthday In Times of Isolation By Vijay Varma

Here’s the tea on what kept the actor busy on his special day—wining, dining, dancing, and special date night (we’re serious!). Plus, some great tips on how you can have—or organise—a kick*ss birthday celebration, too.

Cosmo: You threw a virtual party for your birthday! Tell us about that.

Vijay Verma: “My friends were really excited about this birthday. Of course, normally, we would have celebrated with much more fanfare. Around my birthday, I was meant to be shooting in Rajasthan, so we were planning to book a haveli and throw a party there. But now, we had to make do with a virtual party—and it was a blast! A few friends and I got on a video call to ring in my birthday—we had coordinated in advance and decided on a time. So, around 10.30 pm, all of us came online. They had created playlists for me, and everyone took turns to play songs.

One of them had got a cake for me, which he couldn’t get delivered, so he held it up to the screen and cut it for me. Another friend had made a greeting card for me, that she read out and then sent a snapshot of. Then they all read out their birthday messages for me. And a friend also managed to get some Belgian waffles delivered to my house at 12 am, so that was pretty special! I had a champagne bottle lying around, which I popped, and we all shared virtual drinks! Basically, we partied the night away—laughing, singing, dancing, and drinking!”

Cosmo: And what did you do on the day of your birthday?

VV: “My phone didn’t stop buzzing all day! People were sending over messages, videos, and Gifs. It was sweet. So I spent a chunk of my time replying to everyone, then got on to my social media accounts and interacted with some followers there. Then, I got down to cleaning my house. Thankfully, all my meals were taken care of by friends, so I didn’t have to cook! I just had to dress up for dinner—in a two-piece suit (yes, with a waistcoat...bummer that I don’t have a photograph of that!)—for a virtual date than I had planned. We filled both our homes with candles, and she had some Italian food and desserts delivered to my mine. So we spent the evening sipping on wine, enjoying the food, and having great conversations!”

Cosmo: How was this year different from your last birthday?

VV: “My birthday last year was actually the quietest one I have ever had! I didn’t really want to celebrate. My film Gully Boy had released just a month before that, and it was the first time I felt the difference—there were people outside my house for days…my phone was ringing non-stop! I wasn’t used to that kind of attention, I just wanted to lie low at home, and be on my own. Two of my closest friends showed up—we chilled and then they left…and I had a drink and called it a night.”  

Cosmo: Did you make a birthday resolution this year?

VV: “No, nothing. There’s already so much going on around us, I didn’t want any extra pressure. I just want to be healthy and take care of others and myself…I live by myself, so that’s a mammoth task in itself.”

Cosmo: How are you doing in the isolation period?

VV: “I’m doing better now. The first few days were very unsettling. There was so much to take care of—I had to cook, clean, wash…and I couldn’t do any of that. But gradually, I started getting used to it, and things started falling into place. The world is coming together in a strange, beautiful way! I connected with friends I hadn’t spoken to in years. And there are no short messages or calls anymore…people want to have long chats…it’s a great feeling. Normally, there’s always this fear of missing out, that you’ll get left behind. But everyone is in this together, so there’s no losing out on anything, no rush! Now the choice is ours, to either while this time away, or use it constructively.”

Cosmo: And how are you spending this time?

VV: “I’m using this time to get fitter! I thought I won’t be able to do it, but a few of us get together and clock in a solid workout session every day. And I’m also taking YouTube tutorials to learn tap dancing…that’s been fun…the agenda is to come out a tap dancer by the end of it!”

Cosmo: What’s the one thing you think people need to do more of right now?  

VV: “Get more fresh air. It’s also important to get some sun, and be close to nature.”

Cosmo: …and less of?

VV: “Less hours with your cellphones! Because we’re less busy these days, we end up spending hours on our phones. But it’s important to cut back on that, or it’ll create an addiction which will be difficult to fight later.”

Cosmo: What are your top tips for anyone celebrating their birthday in the lockdown?
VV:  “1. Make sure you move around a little that day—don’t just keep sitting on your behind. Ideally, get up and clean up the house—the house you live in determines the state of mind you are in.

2. Definitely get dressed! Just because you can’t go out doesn’t mean you should be shabby on your big day. Make yourself feel special. You can even plan a virtual party with your close friend(s), or go on a virtual date with someone special, or even have a quiet, virtual dinner with loved ones...whatever you feel up to.

3. Be creative and imaginative—the possibilities are limitless to keep yourself entertained through the day. Play online games with your friends, share music…there are so many fun games especially designed for the lockdown period.

4. Pamper yourself and others around you—bake a cake or cook a special meal. You can even gift yourself something special—like an online subscription of something.

5. Don’t forget to give return gifts to all your friends. I had hand-written special notes, personalised for each one of my friends, and sent them across via screenshots.”