Moonstruck: Bollywood's Gaga Over Karva Chauth

The moon, a sieve, some sindoor, and a husband (or someone close enough). Everyone's gaga over Karva Chauth, Bollywood style.

Aishwarya Rai anticipating Karva 
Chauth, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam

The depiction of numerous Karva Chauth scenes in Hindi movies since the mid-1990s has popularised the festival to such an extent that, according to local reports, it's being observed in parts of India which didn't have a history of practicing the tradition. Once mainly common in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and much of the Hindi-speaking belt, its spread is being felt in places like Maharashtra, West Bengal, and even the south, promising something for everyone including the cynics (for the latter to ponder: it's now a Hallmark holiday in India known as Husband's Day--I am not kidding I bought a card as evidence).

So, how have Bollywood movies transformed Karva Chauth? (A word of warning to feminists to stop holding their breaths. They do not question traditional assumptions of patriarchy and marriage--but then did you really expect them to?)

1. Fasting all day without so much as a sip of water makes one radiant (and so should you) 

A saas-bahu Karva Chauth moment
Hema Malini & Rani Mukherji, Baabul

Perhaps it's the special glow of the moon, or maybe their skin glistens as they break out in a cold sweat having fasted all day. Whatever it is, the women gather up the stamina to doll themselves up and look gorgeous. The guys on the other hand, tend to stagger in for the pooja either in run-of-the-mill white pyjama suits or their work clothes (Yes Boss, for example). They are, after all, bringing home the bread--we shouldn't expect much. Notable rays of Karva Chauth radiance come to mind in the form of the ever-stunning Aishwarya Rai as she recollects her past in the song, Chand Chhupa Badal Mein (Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, 1999), and (even I am shocked at myself as I write this) a rare show of non-sluttiness by Shamita Shetty in the song, Agar Tum Mil Jao (Zeher, 2005), as she serenades Emraan Hashmi (eww) on the auspicious day. Hema Malini and Rani Mukherji as the fasting saas-bahu duo in Baabul (2005) looked perfectly decked out having their last meal at 4 am, a time better suited to fuzzy slippers and crumpled robes than solah sringaar.

2. It's the ultimate form of romance especially if it's on the sly (Nothing says, 'I love you', like hypo-glycemic shock.)

The perfect Karva Chauth ruse
Shah Rukh Khan & Kajol
 Dilwale Dulhania Le Jaayenge

As with all else filmi, Bollywood has succeeded in capturing the cotton candy side of what is considered to be one of the most difficult and pious fasts in the Hindu tradition. To be fair, it is what we watch these movies for. Aditya Chopra's modern classic Dilwale Dulhania Le Jaayenge (1995) (DDLJ) is largely credited with propelling Karva Chauth into the modern-day psyche as the ultimate test of romantic love.  It's probably helped by some rather mushy (which I must admit, I love) scenes between Simran (Kajol) and Raj (Shah Rukh Khan), and the annoyingly catchy tune set to the recurring melody of Ghar Aaja Pardesi. Who can forget the scene when Raj likens Simran to the moon by pointing to her reflection in a mirror, or the late-night rooftop rendez-vous when Simran insists that Raj feed her the first bite of food and give her the first sip of water to break her fast, culminating in her fake-out fainting in front of everyone? Reprising the theme eight years later, Ishq Vishk (2003), also built on the starve-for-your-secret-love theme and included a scene with Payal (Amrita Rao) fasting for her best friend-turned beau, Rajiv (Shahid Kapoor), who sneaks into her bedroom so she can perform the pooja.

3. If he really loves you, he'll fast too. (Aww... now the two of you can rest in adjoining cots strung up to a joint glucose drip.)

Stolen Karva Chauth moments
Shah Rukh Khan & Kajol in DDLJ

We have DDLJ to blame for women everywhere feeling crappy if their husbands/significant others don't at least feign to fast with them on Karva Chauth. I found the surprise fast in DDLJ by Raj ending with a secret Karva Chauth meal on the rooftop utterly endearing. It's become so much the politically correct thing to do in Bollywood, that real life superstar husbands, Askhay Kumar and Abhishek Bachchan, claim to be fasting with their wives, Twinkle Khanna and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, respectively, and compel those who cannot to provide a reason why (see Amitabh Bachchan's tweet T-166).

Amitabh Bachchan & Hema Malini
in a happier Karva Chauth, Baghban

The reciprocal fasting in Baghban (2003) between a senior (yet very unoriginally named) couple, Raj and Pooja Malhotra (played by Amitabh Bachchan and Hema Malini), on the other hand, made me nauseous. But then again, there was many a nauseating moment in this film. For one, it is unbelievable that even in the modern age, Raj Malhotra's daughter-in-law (or her servants) who is also fasting, would not have arranged to have any cooked meals made for the evening. Equally unbelievable is that his son, daughter-in-law, and grandson would have left him alone at home with no food (knowing that he fasts) while they chow down at some restaurant after the pooja. And of course, the ultimate level of disbelief came when the only thing the two perfectly healthy and active seniors could do was cry into the phone and sing pathetic songs rather than arrange to have met on what was made out to be the most important day in their lives.

4. If you're not married, fast for the guy you want. If you don't get him, treat it as a dry run for the guy you end up with.

Aishwarya Rai & Abhishek Bachchan's
first Karva Chauth
Dhaai Akshar Prem Ke

Even though keeping the Karva Chauth fast if you are unmarried is a strict no-no and wouldn't be condoned in most families, romance prevails. The most common justification for showing unmarried couples or hopeful singletons keeping the fast is that by doing so, you will get the guy... forever. Notable fasting singletons include Kareena Kapoor for Hrithik Roshan in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001), ironically, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's first Karva Chauth for Abhishek Bachchan in Dhaai Akshar Prem Ke (2002), and of course, Kajol for Shah Rukh Khan in DDLJ.

The not-so-happy Karva Chauth
 Ajay Devgun & Aishwarya Rai
Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam

Of course, where the unmarried Karva Chauth wish is proved wrong, like in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, we can take solace in the fact that the leading lady already had practice pre-empting any embarrassing fainting spells in front of the in-laws... though a smile would not go amiss.

5. There's only one way to celebrate Karva Chauth... the Punjabi way... oh, and there will be dance!

The homogenised depiction of what were and, for the most part still are, extremely varied regional and community-based Karva Chauth practices all go one way (much like everything else in Bollywood). The practices of sargi (a special set of offerings for the bahu by her mother-in-law) which was popularised in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, looking at the moon through a sieve and then capturing your husband's image in it, and the passing of the pooja thali around a circle in a group of women are largely all Punjabi customs.

A family Karva Chauth
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham

There is nothing wrong with this but some variety (especially, when the lead characters are not Punjabi, as was the Gujarati Nandini in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam) would quell some of that KC déjà vu. Mostly though, rather than succumbing to dizzying headaches, our main characters rejoice in fast-paced twirls and group dances à la Bole Chudiyaan in K3G and Mera Mahi in Dhaai Akshar Prem Ke.

Happiness isn't happiness without a healthy dose of love and starvation.

Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna: 'Good-bye' didn't come soon enough

*Cautionary note: This was the film that put me over the edge and prompted me to stop blogging about Hindi films for so long. A previously unpublished post from 2006, read it with 'retrospect' in mind.*

Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta,
Abhishek Bachchan, Rani Mukherji
Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006)
Image: pinkvilla.com

That Karan Johar gives his audience little credit comes shining through in this nearly 4-hour celluloid magnum disappointus.

Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (dubbed KANK by filmi acronym enthusiasts), does nothing but confirm suspicions that Johar fancies himself a Robert Altman but blatanlty lacks the talent or originality of the senior director.
Relying heavily on his almost incestuous connections with Bollywood luvvies, Johar unsurprisingly reeled in an all-star cast with Shah Rukh Khan, Rani Mukherji, Abhishek Bahchan, and Preity Zinta as the leads, and Amitabh Bachchan, Kirron (that's how she's spelling it these days) Kher, and Arjun Rampal as the supporting cast. Resorting to cliched 'spot the star' cheap thrills, Kajol and John Abraham make brief appearances in two all-thumpy no funky songs.

The story centres around the tumultuous relationships of two not-so-happily married couples, Dev Saran (Khan) and his wife Rhea (note the Americanised spelling here) (Zinta), and Rishi (Bachchan Jr.) and Maya Talwar (Mukherji). To make a much-in-need-of-editing film short, all four characters have certain issues that they can not solve within their respective marriages, leading Dev and Maya to seek solace and comfort in each other.

Seems like an opportunity to delve into the darker side of cotton candy romance, doesn't it? Well it is. Sadly, this movie does not deliver on Johar's loudly asserted promise.

Despite the inordinately long time the film has to let the audience engage with the characters, they appear as little more than cardboard cut-outs throughout.

Dev, a disgruntled former soccer star, remains disgruntled, humourless, and unneccessarily mean to his son Arjun; no real explanation is gleaned as to why Maya constantly feels inaduequate despite her husband's overt attempts at love; Rhea's gung-ho 'all work no play' attitude is taken to extremes presenting her as a one-dimensional working mother; and Rishi who is presented as 'child-like' throughout, really does nothing of the sort. The most unique and believable relationship in the film is the sweet and spunky friendship that develops between Dev's mother, Kamaljit (Kher), and Rishi's father, Sam/Samarjit (Bachchan Sr.). Sadly, the film's treatment of this and the other relationships is as superficial as the glitz in every reel.

The shortcomings are not because the script, largely written by Johar, relies on subtlety--in fact, at times it is so cumbersome that the audience wishes for the opportunity to read between the lines. The script simply does not build on what could have otherwise been a rather meaningful film.

Instead, Johar indiscriminately relies on cliches from his own and mentors Yash and Aditya Chopra's previous celluloid melodramas to weave thin attempts at humour and depth. KANK resembles, in no small measure, a not-so-cheap knock-off of Silsila with a sleeker look. Slight changes to the central plot and the now requisite shift of scene from Bombay to New York common to every second film these days is all the credit Johar can take.

In fact, since Johar so vehemently tried to ward off accusations of what can only be labelled intellectual/artistic property theft, one wonders why two classic scenes from Silsila were left blatantly unedited from the final cut.

I refer to: (1) the hospital scene in Silsila when Rekha presents Ambitabh Bachchan with a bouquet of red roses: 'Khamosh ho ke bhi phool apne rang or khushboo se bahut kuch keh jaate hain' and (2) watching his wife Rekha dance with Bachchan, Sanjay Kumar says to Jaya Bachchan: 'Aise lagta hai ki angrezon ne dancing ka doosre lagon ki biwiyon ke saath naachne ka achchha bahana hai.'

Both scenes are almost identical in KANK, with Abhishek Bahcchan echoing daddy's words 25 years later in response to a red rose he mistakenly assumes Rani Mukherji brought home for him, and Shah Rukh Khan aping Kumar's words but substituting 'dancing' for parties while Bachchan Jr. obliges Preity Zinta in a PR-do.