Glorified Ganesh Chaturthi in Bollywood

India is a country catering to a variety of communities and languages. Where festivals and celebrations are a daily occurrence, there are a few occasions which seem to take higher precedence on the celebration scale. Occasions which brings the family together and is celebrated with fervor, faith and divinity! Ganesh Chaturthi is one such celebration. The importance of Ganesh Chaturthi in Maharashtra dates back to the pre-independence era when Bal Gangadhar Tilak started this event to unite Indians for independence. On the auspicious occasion of Ganesh Chatruthi, BollyCurry sheds light to the way this festival is glorified in Bollywood movies.

 

Bollywood movies are known for their grandeur and larger than life picturisation. Be it contemporary matters, family feuds, love sagas or the harsh realities of life, each topic is shot and presented in a grand way. Religious festivals are no exception to this rule. Amidst all such festivals, Ganesh Chaturthi rules the roost, and why wouldn't it? There's such contagious energy to this festival that when the dhol and tasha play and the Ganpati songs start, one can't help but chant, "Ganpati Bappa Morya!" as they see the mighty glamour of the celebrations.

Movies as old as the 1981 flick starring Mithun Chakraborty, Hum Se Badkar Kaun, had a song devoted to Ganpati Bappa titled "Devo Ho Deva", which became quite a hit in it's days. Sanjay Dutt starred in the critically and commercial hit Vaastav, which featured the famous Ganpati puja scene that had the actors crooning "Aarti". In more recent times, Shah Rukh Khan starred in the remake of the super-hit movie Don, which also featured a Ganpati Chaturthi scene where Don's doppelganger, Vijay, was introduced.  Salman Khan also made a dashing appearance by dancing to the foot tapping "Mera Hi Jalwa" in front of the massive Ganpati idol.

 

Often, shots of Ganpati festival aren't shown just for entertainment purposes in movies. Sometimes, such sequences are an indication of a critical turn in the story. In the original 1990 version as well as the 2012 remake of Agneepath(2012), the Ganesh Chaturthi festival was celebrated in grandeur, at the end of which a high point of the movie was revealed. Recently, the 2013 dance movie ABCD - Any Body Can Dance consisted a climax scene where the heroes of the movie gave their tribute to Ganpati Bappa as they danced their way to glory on a huge stage, not only claiming the winning spot of the competition but also winning and uniting the hearts of everyone who watched their performance.

These are just few of the many examples of how Ganesh Chaturthi is glorified in Bollywood. The aura of this festival and the celebrations makes it one of the most favorite tropes that our Bollywood film makers as it brings in the energising spirit of the event as well as entertainment value to the audience. On this auspicious occasion, BollyCurry wishes a happy Ganesh Chaturthi to all who are celebrating!