Diwali movies to watch in the UAE: From Ramayana to Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham

Dubai: Diwali falls on Sunday, November 8, and for many families in the UAE, the festive weekend isn’t complete without a film night.

Bollywood has been setting stories around the festival for decades, from joyful family reunions to moments of drama on Diwali night. This year, there are also two new titles built around the season.

Here’s what to watch, whether you’re heading to the cinema or staying in.

The big-screen release of the festive season is Nitesh Tiwari’s retelling of the Ramayana, the first of two films. Ranbir Kapoor plays Lord Rama, with Sai Pallavi as Sita, Yash as Ravana, Ravi Dubey as Lakshman and Sunny Deol as Hanuman.

The film is set for a worldwide IMAX release, and Part Two is due around Diwali 2027. By October 25, it had made about 20 crore rupees (around Dh7.7 million) in worldwide advance bookings.

When: In UAE cinemas from Thursday, November 5
Language: Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and English

If you’d rather stay home, this new Netflix film is set during the festival itself. Mihir Ahuja plays Ansh Sikka, who has worked abroad for years and buys his middle-class Punjabi parents a high-rise apartment.

When he comes home for Diwali, he finds that a new home doesn’t mean a fresh start, as his family’s idea of a good life clashes with his own. Directed by Ritesh Menon, the film also stars Manoj Pahwa as Ansh’s father, with Neelu Kohli and Aurra Bhatnagar.

When: Thursday, November 5
Where to watch: Netflix

Karan Johar’s family drama opens with Diwali, as the Raichand family gathers for worship. It’s here that one of the film’s best-remembered scenes plays out. Nandini, played by Jaya Bachchan, senses that her son Rahul, played by Shah Rukh Khan, has come home, and walks to the door before anyone knows he has arrived.

The cast also includes Amitabh Bachchan, Kajol, Hrithik Roshan and Kareena Kapoor.

Where to watch: Netflix and Prime Video

Aditya Chopra’s romantic drama was itself released on the Diwali weekend of 2000. Its Diwali sequence is a turning point in the story: the six young lovers finally speak up about their feelings in front of Amitabh Bachchan’s strict principal, as Shah Rukh Khan arrives with a dhol.

Aishwarya Rai also stars.

Where to watch: Netflix

Sooraj Barjatya’s family favourite stars Madhuri Dixit and Salman Khan. In its Diwali sequence, set to the song Dhiktana, the family learns that Pooja, played by Renuka Shahane, is expecting a baby.

The song nearly gave the film its name. According to Wikipedia, Barjatya’s grandfather loved Dhiktana so much that it was almost used as the title.

Where to watch: ZEE5

Not every Diwali scene is a happy one. In Mahesh Manjrekar’s crime drama, Sanjay Dutt plays Raghu, a man drawn into Mumbai’s underworld.

In one of the film’s best-known moments, Raghu comes home on Diwali, covered in gold, and shows his mother his chain. “Ye dekh pachaas tola!” he tells her, which translates as “Look at this, 50 tola!” A tola is a traditional South Asian unit for weighing gold.

Reema Lagoo plays his mother, with Namrata Shirodkar and Paresh Rawal also in the cast.

Kamal Haasan directed and starred in this comedy, an official remake of his 1996 Tamil film Avvai Shanmugi.

In the film, a firecracker accident injures his character’s young daughter. He comes to her rescue and is then hired as her governess, disguised as an elderly woman. Tabu, Amrish Puri, Om Puri, Paresh Rawal and a young Fatima Sana Shaikh are also in the cast.

Prakash Mehra’s action drama is the film that made Amitabh Bachchan a star, and Diwali is central to its story. As a boy, his character, Vijay Khanna, witnesses the murder of his parents on Diwali night, a memory that stays with him into adulthood.

Jaya Bhaduri, Pran and Ajit Khan also star.

Aamir Khan’s directorial debut follows Ishaan, played by Darsheel Safary, a boy with dyslexia who is sent to boarding school. In one quiet Diwali scene, Ishaan stays away from the celebrations while firecrackers light up the sky. It’s a reminder that the festival can feel very different for someone who is missing home.

Aamir Khan plays Ram Shankar Nikumbh, the art teacher who changes Ishaan’s life.