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What Bollywood is doing this Holi
By Subhash K. Jha, Indo-Asian News Service

Mumbai, March 14 (IANS) For decades the Hindi film industry has marked Holi with great fervour both on and off screen. But while most Bollywood stars have nostalgic memories of the festival, not all seem keen on wild celebrations this year.   
  

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Madhur Bhandarkar: I've a toothache. So this year, just a small Holi with my wife and some close friends. But Holi in the film industry used to be almost synonymous with R.K Studios. 

Raj saab (the late Raj Kpaoor) and later Randhir and Rishi (Kapoor) used to throw such lavish Holi bashes. I remember attending two of them. It was like watching Bollywood's who's who marching in and out of the RK compound. Now there's Bachchan saab's Holi bash. 

Dino Morea: I love Holi. It's the time to disco. My brothers and me have had some wild times in Bangalore. In Mumbai it's far less fun. Going to a friend's house for a Holi party and getting completely coloured up. 

Nandana Sen: I have just got back from New York, so I am a little jetlagged. Still I am looking forward to getting all messy, making lots of noise and dunking my best friends in purple water. The purple water is a big energy booster.

Anupam Kher: I am not a very Holi kind of person, though I do recall some really wonderful times back home in Shimla with my parents and brother. Now of course Holi has changed, and for the worse. No Holi for me this time. I'll be shooting at Kamalistan for "Money Money". 

Farah Khan: I'll be hiding. I don't like playing Holi at all.

Hrithik Roshan: Generally Holi is a grand affair for me and my folks back home (India). I'll be shooting for a song in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). Thanks for reminding me of what I am going to miss back home.

Sammir Dattani: I have some really fond memories of some really wild times with my friends during Holi. We would dunk our friends into coloured water and dance to "Aaj na chorenge bas humjoli..." Very filmy but very real stuff. 

Holi used to be a huge affair for our family. But now, with an element of indecency creeping into the festival, we don't want to go beyond some mild celebrations, and that too at home.

Anu Malik: My father passed away two months ago. I don't think it would look right if I played Holi. I am invited to the Zoom Holi party. But will it look nice if I attended? But I won't stop my daughters. Maybe I'll even join in with them a bit. But last year everyone was jiving to my song "Do me a favour let's play Holi".

KK: "I'll be shooting in Goa for Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd. So, no Holi!

Mohit Ahlawat: "I'll be shooting with Ramuji (Ram Gopal Varma). And since he doesn't believe in playing Holi, I guess we'll have no celebrations on the sets. 

I remember back home in Haryana, Holi was a time of masti with the family. Do I miss home at Holi? Nope. Too busy to miss anything! 

Rajiv Khandelwal: Right now I have time, so I am spending time with my family in Jaipur for Holi. But I am not really a Holi person. Given a choice, I'd rather curl up in my room with a drink and a book.

Sujoy Ghosh: I am a Holi person. Love the colours. But dad passed away. No Holi.

Sohail Khan: Celebrating Holi with my kid and his friends.

Smriti Malhotra Irani: It's a day set aside for family and friends. The day will start with traditional rituals. Then people will start to coming in. We have already begun preparations.

Victor Banerjee: Will be placing gulaal at Lord Krishna's feet, then at my parents' feet. After sunset will dine at a fabulous Argentinean restaurant, 20 minutes away from my hotel in Houston.

Deepti Naval: Will have a ball playing Holi at my home in Madh Island.

Shabana Azmi: Shooting in Goa. Only Zoya (Javed Akhtar's daughter) who is producing my film could make me stay away from home during Holi. Abba (dad Kaifi Azmi) loved Holi. It was an open house every year for us. Plenty of bhang, lots of besura singing and a fixed menu.

Simi Garewal: I'll be locked up in my house and hide under the bed if friends descend on me...as I have done every year.

Nakul Vaid: Shooting next day. Can't afford to have colour on my face. But otherwise I have had truly memorable Holi celebrations in the past with my family and friends. 

My best friend and I are quite notorious. We pull out all our friends from hiding, especially those who don't want to play. But please, not strangers. Holi is to be enjoyed with friends.
 
Bollywood no longer makes 'Rang barse'-like Holi scenes
By Arpana, Indo-Asian News Service

New Delhi, March 14 (IANS) Evocative Holi scenes like the "Rang barse" song-and-dance sequence from "Silsila" are not in vogue in Hindi films any more. The merry making accompanying the festival of colours that brought exuberance to our films is fast fading from Indian celluloid. 

Filmmakers are no longer enthusiastic about the festival, which remained an integral part of our films for decades. And they are not apologetic about it either.

"It's been done to death. More and more people are losing interest in playing Holi," says filmmaker Vinta Nanda. "From what used to be a festival of colours it has slowly started turning into a nightmare because of eve teasing and hooliganism," averred the director of "White Noise".

In the last three-four years, some filmmakers like Ravi Chopra and Vipul Shah had tried to revive the waning magic of Holi on the silver screen. 

For instance, Amitabh Bachchan was seen doing a Holi number with Hema Malini in director Ravi Chopra's hit "Baghban". In Vipul Shah's "Waqt - Race Against Time", Akshay Kumar and Priyanka Chopra danced to the beats of a westernised Holi number "Do me a favour lets play holi". 

Ketan Mehta's "Mangal Pandey" had Aamir Khan playing Holi. But the film collapsed at the box office and nobody remembers the scene. 

One wonders what's keeping our filmmakers away from this colourful festival!

"I think it is not a big deal for the young generation. I had a Holi sequence in the first film I produced... and never had a reason to repeat it afterwards," said actress-turned-filmmaker Pooja Bhatt.

Another reason, probably, why we don't see the festival in films these days, which once upon a time played a crucial role in the script, is the increasing influence of the west. 

Filmmakers are aiming higher as they yearn for global recognition by making slick flicks, where there is no room for Holi. 

But Nanda differs: "Somewhere, somehow all festivals have lost their true essence because of poverty. There is guilt in celebration and apology in every happiness that one feels."

The cinematic tradition of celebrating Holi started with "Jwar Bhata" - the launch pad of legendary actor Dilip Kumar. Amiya Chakrabarty shot the first ever Holi scene in the 1944 film. Since then, the festival has been celebrated in films unhesitatingly from one era to another without missing its colourful spirit. 

Different filmmakers used the festival differently in their films - some as a fleeting incident and others as a turning point in the story. But most were song-and-dance sequences and entertained the audience. 

Romance king Yash Chopra used it frequently in films like "Mashaal" ("Holi aayi holi aayi dekho holi aayee re"), "Darr" ("Ang se ang lagana sajan mohe aise rang lagana") and "Mohabbatein" ("Sohni sohni ankhiyon wali").

But none of his Holi song has been as popular as "Rang barse" from "Silsila" where Amitabh Bachchan unabashedly flirts with ex-girlfriend Rekha in front of wife Jaya Bachchan. Amitabh crooned the song, written by father Harivansh Rai Bachchan, which was a huge hit then as even today.

Memorable Holi songs from other films that come to mind are - "Holi ayee re Kanhai" ("Mother India"), "Arrey ja re hath natkhat" ("Navrang"), "Aaj na chodenge bas hamjoli khelenge hum Holi" ("Kati Patang"), "Saat rang mein khel rahi hai dilwalon ki holi re" ("Aakhir Kyon") and "Piya sang khelun Holi" from "Phagun".

The times have changed now and very few filmmakers depict the festival in their films. Fortunately, TV shows are trying to keep it alive by celebrating it with great gusto and all the channels are trying to outdo each other in the colourful race. 

In this era of digital formats, the vibrant colours of joy fail to excite young filmmakers who seem to have almost shunned it.