As soon as the month of March starts, the fountains of colors inside every man get restless. Every Banda Gabbar Singh, who is waiting for these colors to be filled with balloons, gets an avatar and asks- ‘When is Holi? When is Holi! ‘ This connection of Holi and Hindi films is so deep that it is impossible to mention film dialogues or songs on this festival of colors.
At this time, there is an entire generation whose Holi season, in Doordarshan’s ‘Rangoli’ program, started with the song ‘Hey Ja Re Hat Nutkhat’, how much the first image of the color of colors in the minds of the people, is made of this song of the 1959 film ‘Navrang’. The songs ‘Tere Rang’ and ‘Jai Jai Shivshankar’ of ‘Tere Rang’ and ‘War’ (2019), released in 2021, were also very popular.
Holi, a festival of colors on the big screen, has been seen in many different colors. For the first time in Hindi films, the entry of songs was done in 1931 with India’s first speaking film ‘Alam Ara’. And this year, in the film ‘Ghar Ki Lakshmi’, there is a mention of a song ‘Mopay Dar Gayo Sari Rang Ki Gagar’ on Holi. But there is no foundation of this song to find audio-video. However, you can get the song ‘Sara Daye Dai Mopay Color’ with some similar lyrics from this. This song is from the film ‘Payal Ki Jhankar’ which came in 1980.
Hindi movies and Holi
The song of ‘Ghar Ki Lakshmi’, which came in 1931, may be called the first Holi song in Hindi films. But the oldest film Holi song is available on the Internet, that is from the film ‘woman’ (1940). This film by Mehboob Khan was the story of a brave mother who kills her son. There were two songs of Holi in the film- ‘Jamuna Coast Shyam Khele Hori’ and ‘Today will play Holi with Sajan. If the matter of ‘woman’ has come out, then also know two bonus facts. Director Mehboob Khan made a remake of this film in 1957 under the name ‘Mother India’, which became the first Indian feature film to be nominated for the Oscar. The hero of ‘woman’ was Arun Kumar Ahuja, whose son was a very popular Hindi film star of 90s. His name is Govind Kumar Ahuja i.e. Govinda.
If you go back on Holi, in the remake ‘Mother India’ of ‘Woman’, ‘Holi I Re Kanhai’ was also on Holi. Apart from this, in the 50s, the colors of Holi were scattered in ‘Daro Re Rang’ and ‘Aan’ (1953) of ‘Jogan’ (1950) in ‘Khelo Rang Hamara Sang’. But the trend of Hindi films about Holi was mostly of two types. Holi festival in films was limited to songs and was used as a beautiful attraction in celebrations, love or film.
With time, this changed and changed so that the festival of Holi started bringing a tremendous twist in the plot of the film. Rather, say that this festival, with the atmosphere of celebrations and fun, worked more in color, in many stories. This combo of the dark twist of his mood and story of Holi did a great wonder on the screen. Let’s tell about such films …
Fagun (1973)
Shanta Damle (Waheeda Rehman), daughter of a businessman, marries a writer weaker than her in status, Gopal (Dharmendra). Gopal, who went out in search of work, reaches his house amid Holi celebrations to surprise Shanta. The film has the song ‘Piya Sang Khelo Hori, Phagun Aayo Re’ on this sequence. Despite being happy to see him, Shanta speaks something shaming her father. She taunts such a taunt after which Gopal goes away again. Shanta says- ‘I have such a precious sari … what right, you cannot buy the thing that you cannot buy yourself!’
‘Phagun’ was a film made on a very powerful story. If you look at it now, do pay special attention to Dharmendra’s expression in Holi sequence. Later, why Dharmendra, who became more popular for his handsome personality, was also a great actor, you will know in this sequence. After Dharmendra’s departure, you will also feel pity on Waheeda, who was standing in the frame.
Kite Kite (1970)
Asha Parekh and Rajesh Khanna starrer This film seems to be a very complicated story in itself. Fake identity and confusion born due to it were a very tragic story. Rajesh Khanna singing ‘Aaj Nahin Chhutge’ at one point of this story, in the eyes of family-society, colors the widow living in the eyes. He is happy from inside. But on reaching home, he encounters his father -in -law.
Nazir Hussain says Asha with his best performance- ‘When the young daughter-in-law of the house starts celebrating the color, how can the old father-in-law sleep!’ With this one dialogue, the film’s climax starts to reach and this father -in -law is filled with respect for her after knowing the truth of her daughter -in -law.
Sholay (1975)
There is no need to tell how memorable to the Holi sequence of ‘Sholay’, one of the most iconic films of Indian cinema. From Gabbar’s ‘Holi Kab Hai’ to Thakur’s ‘Very long story is …’, this is a magnificent Holi sequence. In this sequence, Jai-Viru faces Gabbar for the first time. In this, the sad story of Thakur is known. In this sequence, Radha, daughter-in-law of Jai and Thakur, expresses their feelings in eyes and eyes. And in this sequence, Thakur’s entire back story opens.
Series (1981)
The news of working with Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan and Rekha in Yash Chopra’s film had already created panic. Apart from real life, on the occasion of Holi in the film, Amitabh is singing ‘Rang Barse Bhigar Wali’ with his X Rekha, with old chemistry.
Rekha is saying to his wife Jaya, ‘Seeing the color of Holi, why do you remember the first love!’ Jaya is saying to Rekha, ‘Husband is not a lover in this country’. And Sanjeev Kumar, who became the husband of Rekha, trapped in this trap, is saying, ‘When the past joins today, he ruins someone else’s life as well as.’ You tell me, how to rob the heart of an audience in a Holi sequence alone!
Damini (1993)
Damini (Meenakshi Seshadri) is celebrating her first Holi in Shekhar (Rishi Kapoor) ‘house. In the midst of this Holi celebration, she sees her brother-in-law, raping the house-Help Urmi (Prajakta Kulkarni) in this house. On coming to the police, Damini, a witness to this terrible incident, has said her mother-in-law- ‘Now the honor of this house is in your hand’.
This plot twist from Holi sets the story of the entire film, in which Sunny Deol burst into the court with the ‘date on date’. The Holi sequence of ‘Damini’ is also unique in the case that there is only music here, not a proper film song.
Fear (1993)
Seeing the color of Holi on the big screen, 1993 was not very happy for those who were excited. And perhaps too for Sunny Deol. On the other hand, there was a sexual assault in the Holi sequence of ‘Damini’, so here in ‘Dar’, Shah Rukh’s eccentric lover avatar was ready to shake bones. In the first few minutes of the film, it became clear that Yash Chopra’s trademark heroine will not be good in this story with Juhi Chawla.
At the beginning of Holi sequence, see Shahrukh’s dialogue, ‘I can reach you whenever I want. I will come to meet you tomorrow. Tomorrow is Holi. I will play Holi with you, I will see how Gulal feels on your cheeks! ‘ Here Sunny Deol is ready to support his ‘two and a half kilos of hand’ and the policeman is ready to support a friend that Shah Rukh is ‘right when it comes!’ And he comes, plays the drum, he gets provoked by seeing ‘his ray’ with her husband, but finally he definitely applies color. ‘ The obsession of coloring the girlfriend started with Rajesh Khanna’s song ‘Aaj Na Chhotaenge’, will change in this way by coming from the ‘fear’ limb of ‘fear’, no one would have thought.
Jolly LLB (2017)
Jolly (Akshay Kumar), who is fighting every trick to make a name in advocacy, has cheated Hina Siddiqui (Sayani Gupta) wandering to get justice to her husband. With these money, he has fulfilled his dream of being his own ‘chamber’ in court. The completion of this dream is being celebrated with Holi. But Hina has come to know the truth and that too comes to see the color of Jolly’s celebrations. Jolly, which has been burnt among all the loved ones, asks him to return the money in two days, then the dam of Hina’s patience is broken- ‘Don’t want your money … want justice, justice. Say, can you give? ‘
This question of Hina has a tone set of the entire film and Jolly goes out to find the truth. Akshay Kumar’s film is probably the last film with a crooked twist on the occasion of Holi. In Hindi films between ‘Jolly LLB’ from ‘Dar’, Holi was mostly more in a fun celebration or love story mode on the big screen. Whether it is the song ‘Balam Pichkari’ of ‘Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani’ or ‘Lahu Mouth Lag Gaya’ in Ranveer Singh-Deepika Padukone in ‘Ramlila’.
‘War’ has Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff’s finest dance ‘Jai Jai Shiv Shankar’, a rare Holi sequence which does not include an actress. Now the film fans will definitely wait for what a new twist comes with a Bollywood film Holi on screen.