Neil Nitin Mukesh's Ganesh Chaturthi celebration will be a private affair.

Film and television celebrities are in a festive mode as Ganesh Chaturthi is all set to begin on Saturday. The birth anniversary of Lord Ganesha is celebrated with gusto across India, majorly in the western states of Maharashtra and Gujarat. Lord Ganesha is referred to as the giver of wisdom and the remover of all obstacles. Devotees believe worshiping Lord Ganesha at the start of any new endeavour will yield positive results, prosperity and good fortune. Like every devotee, stars of tinseltown too mark the 11-day festival by welcoming the idol of Lord Ganesha to their homes. The festival ends with immersion of the idols in water bodies.

Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, even Ganesh Chaturthi is expected to be affected this year. Though Ganesha pandals have been put up at several places, the overall celebrations will remain low-profile.

With a star-studded line-up of Ajay-Atul, Shankar Mahadevan, Viraj Joshi, Rakesh Chaurasia, Mrunal Kulkarni among others, one of the oldest mandals, Shrimant Bhausaheb Rangari Mandal, is bringing the festivities home.

“From August 22 to the last day, we will be uploading a pre-recorded clip of our cultural activities. The virus has created an atmosphere of despair but with the arrival of Bappa we will have only positive energy. We will have performances by Pt Bhimsen Joshi’s grandson Viraj Joshi, Shankar Mahadevan, and the renowned duo Ajay-Atul. Mayor Murlidhar Mohol and Joint Commissioner of Police Ravindra Shiswe too will be a part. Even with decorations, we have opted for an eco-friendly bamboo structure for the small pandal,” said Punit Balan, president of the mandal.

Talking about his Ganesh Chaturthi celebration, Bollywood actor Neil Nitin Mukesh said in a statement, "This year’s theme is dedicated to “new beginnings” and for the very first time, we have got an eco-friendly bappa home. With COVID-19, I feel each one of us has realized there is so much harm that the human race has caused Mother Earth over the last decade, that the only practical way forward is that we need to embrace more eco-friendly measures to protect the Universe, else we are all heading towards doomsday."

He added, “The bappa idol is all of 18 inches as opposed to our longstanding yearly tradition of bringing home a 5 feet idol. All of the decorations on him including the clothes and ornaments have been created by my mother over the past two months. This year’s decoration has been completely done by me and baby Nurvi. We avoided getting anything from outside and decorated his room like a country yard with minimal decorations comprising of white jasminum sambac and yellow marigolds. Like every year, all 10 days will be dedicated to different festivals of India like Holi, Diwali, Rakshabandhan, Janamashtami, followed by chappan bhog, the homam and culminating with the visarjan."

18:00 (IST)21 Aug 2020

Rithvik Dhanjani is all set to welcome Ganpati Bappa

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On his way..💛🤓

A post shared by rithvik D (@rithvik_d) on Aug 17, 2020 at 1:25pm PDT

TV actor Rithvik Dhanjani made his Ganpati Bappa at home.

17:42 (IST)21 Aug 2020

India’s Best Dancer welcomes Lord Ganesha this weekend

To celebrate the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi, Sony Entertainment Television's dance reality show, India's Best Dancer has invited actors Sachin and Supriya Pilgaonkar. All the contestants will welcome Lord Ganesha with a special performance and Sachin and Supriya will be seen doing Ganpati sthapana along with a grand aarti. This week India’s Best Dancer is going to be nothing short of a visual spectacle.

Here are a few photos from the celebrations:

Sachin and Supriya Pilgaonkar on the set of India's Best Dancer.

The judges of India's Best Dancer dance along with Supriya Pilgaonkar.

The contestants welcome Lord Ganesha on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi.

17:22 (IST)21 Aug 2020

'Let this festival of Gowri Ganesh Chaturti bring abundance of happiness'

"This year our celebrations may not be as grand as it used to be every year nevertheless our spirits are not hampered.. let this festival of Gowri Ganesh Chaturti bring abundance of happiness, good health and joy!! Have a fun filled festival and make sure u enjoy all the modakas," actor Yash shared on Twitter.

17:01 (IST)21 Aug 2020

Shilpa Shetty Kundra has a healthy Besan Coconut Barfi recipe this Ganesh Chaturthi

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गणपति बप्पा मोर्या 🌺 It’s that time of the year and we’re all geared up to welcome Bappa into our homes this week🙏🏻 So, our recipe had to be something unique, sweet, and healthy. The Besan Coconut Barfi fits the bill perfectly! The celebrations all around us are subdued and sober in these times, but for everyone who wants to do something special while at home, do try out this recipe. It has no refined sugar and tastes just as good😍You can also shape them into modaks, and if you want to make them vegan you can use peanut/coconut oil. They taste equally good😅 made a separate batch for @rajkundra9 who is vegan; he loved them. If you have any special recipes to welcome Bappa, do share them in the comments below😊🙏🏻 @simplesoulfulapp . . . . . #GaneshChaturthi #SwasthRahoMastRaho #TastyThursday #QuarantineSpecial #QuarantineLife #StayHomeStaySafe #SSApp #RecipeOfTheWeek

A post shared by Shilpa Shetty Kundra (@theshilpashetty) on Aug 20, 2020 at 3:30am PDT

Shilpa Shetty Kundra shared a recipe of Besan Coconut Barfi on social media. The actor also welcomed Lord Ganesha at her residence on Thursday.

16:41 (IST)21 Aug 2020

Amit Trivedi releases Ganpati

Sharing the song's video, Amit Trivedi wrote, "'Ganpati' is OUT NOW. Let us welcome Lord Ganesha into our homes and hearts! #ATAzaad #SongsofFaith #Ganpati #Ganesha #LordGanesha #Gabpati2020 #AmitTrivedi #Originals #IndependentMusic #Music #AmitTrivediMusic"

Ganesh Chaturthi 2020: Yash wishes for happiness and good health

Celebrities across India are ready to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi, which begins on Saturday.

Here's how stars are celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi 2020.