Happy Durga Puja: 5 times Bollywood brought in Maa Durga and won Bengalis over
From Parineeta to Kahaani, we look at five times Bollywood showcased the chaos of Puja in its true form.
It's that time of the year. Maa Durga is at our doorstep, and the rolls, briyanis are about to leave the floodgates. Ashtami will see even most of the atheists, go in for the Pushpanjali ritual and then head out for Luchi-Ghoogni and Khichudi afterwards. It is a auspicious time for the Bengalis to renew their vows with the most unhealthy snacks the might not binge on through the year.
Bollywood has seen its share of Puja celebrations and the Bengali audience have related to it too. We take a look at five such instances, where Bollywood showcased a near perfect celebration of the festival and used it to perfection for the story.
1. Devdas (2001)
Sanjay Leela Bhansali unleashed the magnificence of Durga Puja, by getting together two of the prettiest women of their generation to dance and pay their tributes to the Goddess. As the song Dola re...Dola re... became a rage, Bongs couldn't stop gushing at how nicely Puja was presented in Devdas.
2. Parineeta (2005)
Who can forget the sporting Sanjay Dutt doing the Dhunuchi dance with three 'Dhunuchis' which are basically earthen pots with coconut shells burning with the help of coal. Pradeep Sarkar beaufifully showed the joy of Pujo with his expansive Pandal, nice looking Kurtas.
3. Kahaani (2012)
Sujoy Ghosh's thriller based in Kolkata paid a fitting tribute to the city, as the climax took place in the chaos of the 'shidur khela' a ritual around vermillion, and takes place on the day of Dashami. Vidya Balan's character in search for her husband plays her final hand in the film and Puja looks like the perfect setting for it.
4. Vicky Donor (2012)
Even though it features the Durga Puja for a fleeting second, where actors Yami Gautam and Ayushmann Khurrana have one of their dates, Shoojit Sircar's Vicky Donor essentially talks about the Bengali culture quite extensively. It basically shows the successful confluence of the Punjabi and the Bengali culture.
5. Lootera (2013)
Vikramaditya Motwane's adaptation of O Henry's Last Leaf starts in West Bengal in Sonakshi Sinha's character's house and shows her enjoying Durga Puja with her best friend. The film's first half is set in West Bengal where Sonakshi's father is a wealthy landlord in a newly independent India.
