When Bollywood lit up Diwali

Representative Image / Image- Unsplash

For years, festivals have been celebrated with gusto in Bollywood, in particular Diwali which is considered auspicious for flagging off new productions. It is also a coveted release date for the dream merchants since people are in the mood to celebrate and increased footfalls mean houseful board for big-budget, star-studded films despite escalation in ticket prices. That’s the reason the festival of lights is blocked early in the year, and now, even a couple of years in advance.

At many production houses, though Diwali is a holiday from work, the staff gathers at the office or the studio for the traditional puja. In 2016, while promoting Karan Johar’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, his second Diwali release after his debut film Saawariya, in 2007, Ranbir Kapoor recalled in an interview to Hindustan Times that when he was around eight or nine years old, he got a tapli (smack) on the head from his angry father Rishi because he had forgotten to remove his shoes and entered the family studio in Chembur where Lakshmi Puja was being performed with them on. He spent the day in tears.

However, for the most part, Diwali at RK Studio, was something everyone looked forward to, with Ranbir’s grandfather, Raj Kapoor, giving away gifts. This included not just his core team composer duo Shankar-Jaikishan, lyricists Shailendra and Hasrat Jaipuri, singers Lata Mangeshkar and Mukesh, and his leading ladies, but the office staff and technicians were also appreciated for their hard work through the year.

Raj Kapoor and his wife Krishna also had a Lakshmi pooja at home where the entire khandaun gathered. His sons, Randhir, Rishi and Rajeev would wait eagerly for the shagun, burst crackers and then relish the non-vegetarian spread. The celebrations ended only the next morning after a hearty breakfast.
The trend of card parties Is also said to have started by the showman. The whole industry waited to be invited to Raj Kapoor’s Holi and Diwali parties and he did not disappoint any. While the ladies, which included not just his heroines, but also stars like Bina Rai and Mala Sinha, lit sparklers, the men bet on the taash. Through it all the food never ran out and the wine flowed all evening.

Decades later, in 2023, his grand daughter, Kareena Kapoor, and her husband Saif Ali Khan continued with the family tradition, hosting a party at their Bandra residence. Kareena’s parents, Randhir and Babita, along with her aunt Neetu Singh, cousin Ranbir and his wife Alia were present. Sister Karisma, was there too, clicking and posting pictures from inside, along with Saif’s mother, Sharmila Tagore, sisters Saba and Soha, the latter with husband Kunal Khemmu. His children from his previous marriage with Amrita Singh, Ibrahim and Sara, and his wife’s besties-Amrita Arora and Malaika Arora, along with the latter’s steady date and Kareena’s Ki & Ka co-star, Arjun Kapoor, were among the guests too.

Everyone was in their traditional best, many of the ladies including Kareena opting for a sari, and Saif embracing his Bengali roots in a dhoti-kurta. Alia looked radiant in a red lehenga and in a moment of rare PDA had Ranbir dropping a kiss on her cheek. The couple later had an intimate celebration at home with Neetu Singh, Alia’s sister Shaheen, their staff and daughter. Highlight was seeing Raha in a dupatta embroidered with her name. All three colour coordinated in the same shade of pink.

Taking a leaf out of Raj Kapoor’s book, another RK, Rajesh Khanna started hosting Diwali parties at his Bandra bungalow, Ashirwad, when he was the ‘Phenomenon of the Seventies’. But reportedly, while almost the entire Hindi film industry was invited to Kapoor’s Diwali party, it was only his friends who went to Khanna’s. This perpetuated another growing trend, of camps within the fraternity, which broke up the earlier amity. The banquet was lavish, the alcohol soaked the evening up and the stakes at the card tables grew higher every year.

Another RK, Ravi Kapoor, better known as Jumping Jack Jeetendra, with his gracious wife Shobha, was also known for his dazzling Diwali parties. The regulars at his party included his buddies, Rishi Kapoor and Rakesh Roshan. In later years, his children, Ekta and Tusshar, hosted the gala jointly and when they moved into their own homes, started celebrating individually.

On October 31, 2013, it was a double dhamaka as the festival coincided with Jeetendra and Shobha’s 39 wedding anniversary. Three years later, in 2016, the party started at 10 pm and continued till the early hours with Rishi, Rakesh, Anil Kapoor, Vidya Halan and Karan Johar, along with Ekta’s TV brigade, Rakshanda Khan, Mona Singh and Rohit Roy to name a few. But the star of the evening was undoubtedly Tulsi from her long-running soap, Kyunki Sons Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. Smrita Irani, now a Union Minister, looked radiant in a peacock blue sari as she posed with Indian television’s Tsarina.

In 2019, while leaving Ekta’s party, Rishi had a brief altercation with the paparazzi gathered outside the bungalow, pointing out that it was late and the neighbors were probably asleep, so they should not be making so much noise and giving B-town a bad name. He then told them sternly to give way for Neetu and him so they could make way towards their  car. Ranbir and Alia quietly followed in another car.

In 2021, just before she was conferred the Padma Shri, Ekta had a quiet Diwali at home with a few close friends, including Anita Hassaanadani, Mouni Roy, Karishma Tanna and Krystal D'Souza. The surprise was Saif’s son Ibrahim. But last year, it was a starry Friday night as Ekta played host to Karan Johar, Ananya Panday, Vidya Balan, Kriti Sanon and old pals, Anita, Karishma, Rohit Roy, Sakshi Tanwar and Divyanka Tripathi among many others. While most of the guests along with Ekta and Tusshar favored black, Jeetendra, a sprightly 80 plus, opted for a white Indian ensemble and his trademark white shoes. Some things never change.

The jalsa at the Bachchans' Juhu bungalow, has also become as legendary as Raj Kapoor’s Diwali bashes with the Shahenshah as the undisputed lord of the manor. It was only in 2017 and 2018 that the family which was in mourning, having lost Aishwarya’s father Krishnaraj Rai and Shweta’s father-in-law Rajan Nanda, did not celebrate. However, in 2019, the who’s who of Bollywood was there again, from Shah Rukh and Gauri Khan and Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli to Akshay Kumar and Twinkle. Amrita Singh with Sara and Ibrahim, Shahid Kapoor with wife Mira Rajput and brother Ishaan and Kajol with her two kids, Nysa and Yug were spotted too.

In 2022, despite Amitabh having hurt his calf earlier, the mood was sunny even after the sun had gone down, with Amitabh Bachchan, daughter Shweta and grand daughter Navya Naveli all dressed in shades of yellow. Abhishek, in vibrant blue, chauffeured his parents, wife and daughter. The only dark cloud was when Jaya called the paparazzi milling outside their bungalow “intruders” for training their cameras on them and their guests.

Last year, Aishwarya had tongues wagging when she turned up alone for Manish Malhotra’s Diwali hash. Twelve months later, with talk of divorce swirling and Ash and daughter Aradhaya going for the Paris Fashion Week and the IIFA Awards without Abhishek, all eyes will be on the Bachchan Diwali party again, this time to see if Bahurani and Junior B continue the tradition of greeting guests and seeing them off together.