New Delhi: Chhath Puja seems to be now getting the Karwa Chauth treatment in Bollywood films.
Two major Hindi films this month have put the festival prominently on screen. The Vvaan: Force of the Forrest released a song built around Chhath earlier this month, while Yeh Prem Mol Liya features the festival in its title track, released on Sunday.
For years, Karwa Chauth has been one of Hindi cinema’s most recognisable festival rituals. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999), Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001), and Baghban (2003) have all used it as part of their romantic or family narratives. The fast, the moon, and the sieve became familiar Bollywood imagery, including for those outside communities where the festival was traditionally observed.
Chhath, which is most closely associated with Bihar, Jharkhand, and eastern Uttar Pradesh, has not had quite the same place in mainstream Hindi cinema. Though that seems to be changing now.
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Newfound recognition
In The Vvaan, the song ‘Chhathi Maiya’ shows Tamannaah Bhatia’s character observing Chhath as Sidharth Malhotra’s character questions her faith. The song later moves to a ghat, where devotees stand in the water and make offerings to the sun.
“Chhath Puja is one of the most important factors of The Vvaan, and I wouldn’t have wanted to experience the ritual in any other way,” Bhatia said in an interview while speaking about preparing for the sequence.
In Yeh Prem Mol Liya, the festival appears as part of the title track, which moves through weddings and family celebrations involving Ayushmann Khurrana and Sharvari.
The four-day Hindu festival is dedicated to Surya, the Sun god, and Shashthi Devi, also known as Chhathi Maiya. Devotees observe a rigorous fast and gather at rivers, ponds, and other water bodies to make ritual offerings, first to the setting sun and then to the rising sun the following morning.
Chhath is not completely new to Indian cinema. The festival has long appeared in films and songs from Bihar and neighbouring regions. This is the first time mainstream Bollywood has picked it up.
(Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)
Filmmakers don’t care about cultural representation, they care about who’s buying the tickets. When a massive demographic becomes your primary audience, you feature their festivals.