Last weekend, Ek Thi Daayan actors Emraan Hashmi and Huma Qureshi visited the Maha Kumbh mela with the film’s producer, Ekta Kapoor. Now they’re back with some great memories and lots of pictures. Ask Emraan Hashmi about his experience and he speaks of sticking to vegetarian food and enjoying staying in a tent. “I had heard so much about the Maha Kumbh mela, but I’d never been there, so it was a great experience. I’ve been lucky to visit it in Allahabad, where it happens only once in 12 years. The aura and the vibe there was so energetic. We stayed in tents for two nights, which was great fun,” says the Bollywood actor.

The trio first went to Lucknow, and then headed to Allahabad, where Ekta performed a puja as well as a yagna. Although Emraan went up till the confluence, he didn’t take a dip in the Ganges. “I was on camera duty as Ekta and everyone else was taking a dip. I was clicking pictures from the banks of the river,” he smiles. “Anyway, I had gone there to experience the event and witness the grand congregation. Taking a dip in the Ganges wasn’t part of the plan in any case.” Emraan also denies that the trio promoted the film at the mela. “We didn’t actually, although the press that came to see us thought that we were doing so. The film is three months away from release,” he clarifies, adding, “Even three months before the release of The Dirty Picture (2011), Ekta and I had visited Ajmer Sharif. These are trips that we make without any promotional agenda.”