Playful, mischievous and joyful – colourful Holi takes on so many hues. It becomes all the more vibrant, sensuous, glamorous and mysterious in the tinsel town of Bollywood. Holi in our filmdom is very special because there are deep lying shades beneath the colours of the festival. Don’t forget this – in Bollywood, there is always a reason to celebrate Holi – onscreen or offscreen!
Onscreen Holi is celebrated to add rare sensuousness and spice to a film. A drenched sizzling heroine in white, pursued by the lovelorn hero along with jubilant junior artists, present a colourful spectacle onscreen. The naughty camera does justice to the heroine’s figure as she twirls and swirls to escape the splash of colours.
Who can forget Mother India`s flirtatious Holi number – ‘Holi ayee re Kanhai’ and Navrang’s ‘Arrey ja re hath natkhat,’ which is all about sweet mischief. V Shantaram beautifully captured the mood through the dance of wife Sandhya in the song. She played both Radha and Krishna as she sang about the tussle between the two.
In Kati Patang, Rajesh Khanna declares his naughty mood through ‘Aaj na chhodenge bas hamjoli khelenge hum holi’ to the blushing Asha Parekh. In Dhanwan, Rajesh Khanna flirts unabashedly with Reena Roy, singing ‘Maaro bhar bhar bhar pichkari’. In Hello Brother, Salman Khan teases Rani Mukherjee in ‘Chandi ki daal par sone ka mor’ and in ‘Baaghbaan’, Amitabh celebrates Holi with the elegant Hema Malini in Baghbaan’s ‘Holi khele Raghuvira’.
The trend of onscreen Holi celebration began with Jwar Bhata (1944) – the debut of legendary actor Dilip Kumar. Amiya Chakrabarty shot the beautiful Holi scene but with time, Holi in films became more than just a festival.
Ramesh Sippy used Holi to set a mood antithetical to the one that would prevail when Gabbar Singh attacked the legendary village Ramgarh. Dharmendra and Hema Malini, along with the villagers, danced and celebrated Holi in the song ‘Holi ke din dil khil jaate hain, rango men rang mil jaate hain’ forgetting about the looming danger.
In Yash Chopra films, Holi takes on a myriad tinge. The unforgettable ‘Rang Barse’ in Silsila effectively captures the conflicts, the angst, the romance and passion of the characters. Big B throws caution to the wind, as he croons the song penned by dad Harivansh Rai Bachchan and flirts recklessly with Rekha onscreen (ahem) as Jaya and Sanjeev Kumar watch on. The song became benchmark for wearing white clothes on Holi. In Mashaal, the popular ‘Holi aayi holi aayi dekho holi aayee’ serves as the occasion for love reunion for Anil Kapoor and Rati Agnihotri as well as Dilip Kumar and Waheeda.
In Darr, Chopra injects suspense and a sense of foreboding through ‘Ang se ang lagana sajan mohe aise rang lagana’, when the stalker Shah Rukh Khan disguises himself in Holi colours to steal a moment with Juhi Chawla. Chopra`s Mohabbatein too has a match-the couples Holi song, ‘Sohni sohni ankhiyon wali’, that went on to be a big hit.
In Rajinder Singh Bedi`s poignantly penned Phagun, Holi celebration turns sour when Waheeda’s stinging remark makes the sensitive Dharmendra desert her and a long separation follows. But, the melodious ‘Phagun aayo re’ leaves an indelible impact on the audience mind.
Music director Rajesh Roshan greatly contributed to Holi revelry through his ‘Mal de gulal mohe’ (Kaamchor), and Apne rang mein rang de (Aakhir Kyon?). Most recently, songs like ‘Koi bheega hai rang se’ from Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost, ‘Dekho aayi Holi’ from Mangal Pandey and ‘Do me a favour let`s play Holi’ from Waqt have carried forward the trend of Holi in films.
Offscreen Holi in Bollywood -Offscreen Holi in Bollywood is all the more happening. Holi bash is about power games and lobbying. Earlier, being invited to RK Studio’s Holi was considered the biggest privilege in Bollywood. All the filmy bigshots and happening actors were invited. Holi would become colourless to those who would not get invited to the event and eventually, their career would take a nosedive.
At RK Studio, the guests were greeted with a dip in a large pool of coloured water. Raj Kapoor ensured that women were treated with dignity. Story goes that when Rekha was facing condemnation due to her ‘link up’ with Big B, she earned the industry’s goodwill after she attended Holi at the RK Studio and touched Raj Kapoor’s feet. The Holi at RK studio has somewhat lost it vibrance, but the next generations of Kapoors are doing their best to continue the tradition effectively.
Holi celebration at Big B’s bungalow, Pratiksha, is a much-awaited event. Almost everybody who matters in the film industry is invited. It’s a star-studded event, with exotic food, dance and lot of fun. After a dip in pool of coloured water, people wash themselves in showers, specially installed in the garden.
Equally famous is the Holi Hungama organized by the biggest name in Bollywood today – Yash Chopra. He undisputedly holds the reigns of Bollywood not only for his movies but also the Holi bash as stars and starlets vie with each other to get invited by him. After all a Yash Raj Film does wonders to one’s career.
So folks, be on the lookout and see the true colours behind the coloured faces of your favourite stars. Happy Holi!
