Special Feature: Five iconic Karwa Chauth sequences in Bollywood

India is known to be the land of traditional and cultural celebrations that takes place all around the year. One such festival widely celebrated in the country is Karva Chauth. Earlier, it was mostly observed by women or specifically wives for the safety and long lifespan of their husbands.

The usual ritual involves a woman fasting from sunrise till the moon is seen in full moon night. Often the husbands feed their wives the first bite of food and offer them the sip of water in order to break their fast. It is often believed that people who celebrate the festival are blessed with the same partner for the seven consecutive births. The changing times saw bending gender roles and many couples today; observe the ritual by fasting together and for each other.

Like any other festival, Karva Chauth too became a part of Indian popular culture. Bollywood immediately incorporated the festival in its films especially to showcase some romantic or dramatic angle or to present some very popular song sequence. This year, on the auspicious day of Karva Chauth, BizAsiaLive.com looks at five iconic Bollywood sequences that celebrate the festival.

‘Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge’ (1995)
Almost every individual who even has the slightest of knowledge about Bollywood is aware that this film is a classic from the 90s. Every sequence in the film contributed to making the film one of the biggest all-time hits of Indian cinema. One such moment is the Karva Chauth celebrations in the film with the iconic couple Raj and Simran as played by Shahrukh Khan and Kajol. As the family prepares for the festival, Simran secretly observes the ritual for Raj, who also returns the favor. A fine example of young love and the effortless SRK-Kajol chemistry makes the scene one of the most loved and remembered Karva Chauth sequence ever. Additionally, the lines in the background score serve the perfect feel for the festival.

‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’ (1999)
Yet another romantic Karva Chauth sequence is seen in Sanjay Leela’s Bhansali’s late 90s project. With Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s mesmerizing chemistry as the leads Sameer-Nandini equipped with Bhansali’s beautiful cinematography and play of colors, this song sequence is nothing short of beautiful. Also, the song strikes the perfect chord with the listeners as everyone eagerly waits for the moon to come out on the festive day to carry forward the rituals. We also realize the celebration in the film is showcased twice. While Nandini’s Karva Chauth with Sameer showcase light-hearted romance, the one with her husband Vanraj essayed by Ajay Devgan intensifies the drama in the film.

‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham’ (2001)
The lavish Karva Chauth sequence in this Karan Johar film gave us the iconic dance number Bole Chudiyan! The song in itself gives off a great celebratory and festive vibe and stands popular to the day. As the youngest pair Rohan-Pooja played by Hrithik Roshan and Kareena Kapoor groove to the rhythm, Shahrukh Khan and Kajol’s Rahul-Anjali observes the festival with much grandeur and tradition. However, the moment that adds to the beauty of the sequence takes place right before the song begins. Despite differences between Rahul and his father Yash Raichand played by Amitabh Bachchan, Anjali is seen to be conversing with her mother-in-law Nandini played by Jaya Bachchan about the customs attached to the festival. Nandini even explains the concept of sending sargi to Anjali over the phone and the audience is once again moved by a lovely emotional moment.

‘Baghban’ (2003)
This scene from the Amitabh Bachchan and Hema Malini starrer film is perhaps one of the most beautiful Karva Chauth sequences in Bollywood of all time. Not only did it establish the idea of eternal love between the couple even after several years of marriage but it also highlighted how the festival is observed by both the genders. An amazing blend of flashbacks and reality, Bachchan’s Raj and Malini’s Pooja are shown to observe a fast for each other together in the scene. And even when the couple is not together in the auspicious day, they still celebrate the ceremony through a telephonic conversation. The emotional quotient of the scene remains high and it becomes hard for the viewers to keep a dry eye. Not to mention how Raj addresses Pooja as the moon of his life while the latter looks at the one in the sky.

‘Baabul’ (2006)
Ravi Chopra’s family drama film has not one but two Karva Chauth sequences. However, the two moments are in complete contrast and contradict one over the other. The first sequence sees the vibrant Kapoor family celebrating the festival together. There are warm moments and cheeky dialogues and an overall joyous vibe to the scene. Moreover, Avi played by Salman Khan even announces to his parents Balraj and Shobhna played by Bachchan and Malini, respectively, that his wife Millie played by Rani Mukherji is pregnant, right before the ladies’ see the moon. The next sequence is entirely different as it evokes pathos and feelings of tragedy. A year later to the previous celebrations, the Kapoor family is now completely gloomy on the day of the festival due to Avi’s untimely passing. A broken Millie still wishes to observe the rituals as she hopes to have Avi as her husband in a different birth. The actors are incredible in their performance and the audience is left teary-eyed.

BizAsiaLive.com wishes all its readers a Happy Karva Chauth and hopes the loved ones stay together for their entire lifetime!

By Varsha Roy