Holi 2022: Celebrate the festival of colors with these Bollywood films

Holi is the Hindu festival of colours that signifies the victory of good over evil and marks the beginning of the spring season in India. With the two-day festival starting on March 28, this year’s festivities remain muted on account of the coronavirus pandemic. So if the annual celebration has been cancelled this year, you can still get into the spirit by watching these Bollywood classics that celebrare different shades of Holi.

Padmaavat: The cracking chemistry between Shahid Kapoor and Deepika Padukone in the period romance ‘Padmaavat’ was evident in this scene where they are shown celebrating Holi. We saw the king Ratan Singh (Shahid Kapoor) sitting on a swing, while his Queen Padmavati (Deepika Padukone) puts some gulaal on her beloved. It was a simple gesture but it packed a punch thanks to the lead actors’ who did a good job of playing out this intimate scene.

Goliyon Ki Rasleela: Ram Leela. Another romantic and intense scene in Bollywood set during a Holi celebration, Leela (Deepika Padukone) approaches Ram (Ranveer Singh) applies a handful of gulaal in the movie Ram Leela. Now husband and wife in real-life, Padukone and Singh were lauded for their chemistry on screen following the release.

Silsila: Any Holi discussion is incomplete without the mention of the song ‘Rang Barse’ from this movie. The song is intense and emotional, as just before Amit (Amitabh Bachchan) begins singing, Chandni (Rekha) tells Amit’s wife Shobha (Jaya Bachchan) that she didn’t marry the man she fell in love with. In another corner, Amit makes the same confession to Chandni’s husband Dr Anand (Sanjeev Kumar). Amitabh and Rekha’s sizzling chemistry in the song which follows this sequence made their fans go gaga over them.

Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani: The millennial film that celebrates freedom, hopes and dreams of 20-something college students culminates in a song that has achieved cult status similar to ‘Rang Barse’. Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone display their fun sides and their great on-screen chemistry through ‘Balam Pichkadi’, which is all about friendships and enjoying this festival of colours.

Baghban: Amitabh Bachchan recreates the magic from ‘Silsila’s ‘Rang Barse’ in ‘Baghban’. Only this time, instead of Rekha, veteran star Hema Malini is his partner in ‘Holi Khele Raghuveera’. Bachchan’s baritone adds a flavour to the dance track, with the video setting the premise that love and laughter is the focus of their married lives, before their children tear the couple apart.

Waqt — Race Against Time: This Akshay Kumar and Priyanka Chopra film also featured a Holi track that is in a league of its own thanks to Anu Malik’s nasal voice. ‘Do Me A Favour, Let’s Play Holi’ comes at a crucial time in the film when Ishwarchand Thakur (Amitabh Bachchan) realises that he is dying of cancer and he needs to ensure his son is grown up to take responsibility of himself and his family. Keep those tissues handy.

Darr: The Holi sequence from this film features Rahul (Shah Rukh Khan) professing his love for Kiran (Juhi Chawla), which shows him sneaking into her house to confess his love with the iconic ‘K-k-k-kirran’ line. The expressions on Rahul’s face during this scene achieved iconic status as one of the most memorable scenes in Bollywood. But what really shines in the chemistry between Chawla and Sunny Deol as they croon ‘Ang se Ang Lagana’.

Mohabbatein: Holi is always considered an auspicious occasion mainly because it’s the time of year when people forget all their differences to come together. Who can forget the iconic scene from ‘Mohabbatein’ when Raj (Shah Rukh Khan) asks for permission from the strict principal Narayan Shankar (Amitabh Bachchan) to play Holi in Gurukul for the very first time. While Narayan Shankar forbids it, he says that the students who want to play can go outside and enjoy. In the scene, Raj uses his powers of persuasion to get the strict principal to let students play Holi, signifying the principal’s acceptance of the festival, while the loved up couples celebrate singing ‘Soni Soni’.

Padmaavat: This Holi sequence brings a scene that is rife with symbolism in the turn of events that prompts Alauddin Khilji (Ranveer Singh) to change his strategy and seek peace with the Rajputs in a shocking twist of faith for both sides. As a mark of mutual understanding and friendship disguised under his diplomatic move, Khilji colours his face in bright saffron colour in order to celebrate Holi along with the Rajputs. The scene shows how he chooses diplomacy over force to get his desire fulfilled.

Jolly LLB 2: After Arshad Warsi, Akshay Kumar too won over the audience and critics alike in this popular ‘Jolly LLB’ franchise sequel. Before the sequence, all seems to be going on just fine for the jolly good Jagdishwar Mishra (Akshay Kumar), it is the Holi celebration scene in the film which changes the course of the whole story. Right after the festive celebration on the Holi song ‘Go Pagal’, Hina (Sayani Gupta) realises that Jagadishwer has deceived her. She then confronts him and challenges him to fight for the truth. This event in the movie is what forces him eventually to take up her case and fight for it with all his might. The drastic and sudden change of the fun-filled Holi scene into an emotionally charged and intense one beautifully captures the attention of the viewers.