25 August,2025 05:42 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Raqesh Bapat
Raqesh Bapat has been one of the known faces of Indian television. He rose to fame with his stint in Bigg Boss OTT 2. The actor grabs attention every year as he shares glimpses of curating eco-friendly Ganesh idols during the festive season. This time, he organised a special workshop and trained young kids to do the same.
The actor took to his social media handle and shared images from the workshop. He wore a pink Kurta and white Dhoti as he took part in spreading the festive cheer. In the pics, he was seen curating idols and also helping the kids to get perfect with it. He shared his experience and wrote in the caption, "When passion meets purpose, joy multiplies. Loved every moment of sculpting with these young, enthusiastic creators today! A heartfelt thank you to Lokmanyaculturalfoundation for organising such a wonderful session!
Apart from him, actor Rithvik Dhanjani has begun his cherished tradition of hand-making an eco-friendly Ganpati idol. The actor shared a behind-the-scenes glimpse of Day 1 of the idol-making process. Accompanied by close friends Karan Wahi, Aditi Mehta and Akasa, he showed how they are creating Bappa's idol.
Raqesh is best known for his stints in shows like Bahu Humari Rajinikanth, Qubool Hai, Tu Aashiqui. Hongey Judaa Na Hum, among many others. He later participated in Bigg Boss OTT 2 where he made headlines for his romance with Shamita Shetty. A few months after coming out of the house, the couple parted ways and are cordial now.
Before Shamita, Raqesh was married to actor Ridhi Dogra. They met on the sets of Maryada, fell in love and tied the knot in 2011. They were even a part of the reality show Nack Baliye. After seven years of marital bliss, they decided to part ways. In an exclusive interaction with Pinkvilla, she said, "He (Raqesh) is my ex but one of my closest friends." She included Ektaa Kapoor along with her school friends in the list of friends. Dogra also talked about her brother Akshay, mentioning, "He's always been my go-to person."
