Mumbai, Nov 13 (IANS): Former beauty queen and Bollywood newcomer Manushi Chhillar is thrilled to be home for Diwali this year, as she will finally get to meet her doctor mother Neelam Chhillar, who was in Delhi working through the Covid pandemic.

The Chhillar family will finally come together again this festive season as her mother has flown down to Mumbai for Diwali.

"It is definitely a super special Diwali for me and our family this year. Diwali is all about celebrating with your loved ones. My family is my biggest anchor and Diwali for me has always been about being grateful for the unconditional love that they shower on me. So, for me, this Diwali became all the more special because I finally got to meet my mother after eight months," said Manushi.

She added: "My mother was working in Delhi and then coronavirus hit our country and she had to stay in Delhi and work through the pandemic. We were on video calls every single day and missing each other terribly, but I respect her all the more because she chose to do her duty for the nation, her fellow citizens and I couldn't be prouder. She inspires me."

Manushi says she is happy for her father, doctor Mitra Basu Chhillar. "I'm super happy for my dad too, because I know he has missed his wife terribly! I'm thrilled and overwhelmed to meet her and be a complete family again after all these months. I have missed her hugs and pampering. I have missed her smile and her calming presence. I'm truly grateful to God for reuniting our family in Diwali. It's the best thing to have happened in 2020 for me," she said.

The beauty queen, who will be making her Bollywood debut in the Akshay Kumar starrer "Prithviraj", said that she is going to cherish every moment with her mother and family before she springs back into action at work.

"I'm going to cherish every moment with my mother and our family before I start shooting again. It's going to be a very hectic next few months and I'm looking forward to my work commitments after the festive season," she summed up.