Rang barsey bheegey chunariya —Holi (2022) aayee rey !

Holi Ke Din, Dil Khil Jaate Hain—Rangon Mein Rang Mil Jaate Hain (Sholay-1975) ! Today, with this immortal Holi duet song we fondly remember legendary ‘late’ Lata Mangeshkar-Didi who passed away (recently) on Sunday Feb 06th 2022 - Chaitanya Padukone

Nine days later ( Tuesday February 15th) iconic composer singer Bappi-Da Lahiri exited this world into immortality . We remember this rhythmic evergreen Holi song ‘Dil Mein Holi, Jal Rahi Hai’ (Zakhmee--1975) composed by ‘late’ Bappi-da sung by iconic Kishore-da Kumar.

This time the Holi Utsav-2022 celebrations has a sentimental importance for Bollywood film-makers, star-artistes, technicians theatres because the corona-pandemic has almost vanished.

All rigid restrictions are almost relaxed, except maybe wearing masks. Once again there is 100 per cent occupancy in movie-theatres..

Recently released Hindi movies like ‘’Gangubai Kathiawadi’ and ‘The Kashmir Files’ are drawing excellent audience responses .

The entire film-industry and the exhibition (theatres) sectors which suffered heavy losses since past two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions and thousands of shocking (fatal) casualties are now steadily jogging back to normal with full enthusiastic creativity.

For Indian cinema especially Hindi-Bollywood movies Holi has always been possibly the most popular festivals both on-screen and off-screen The Holi festival is known for its colourful revelry, fun parties, shower of dry and wet colors, sipping thandai ( with a blend of bhaang) and indulging in wild, merry rain dancing.

While Holi on-screen song-situations are effectively used as a narrative to take the movie ahead and even to generate suspense and dramatic social thrills .

As was evident in Yash Chopra –directed movies like Silsila (the landmark ‘Rang Barse’ song sung by Amitabh Bachchan ) or even in ‘Darr’ where Shah Rukh Khan is shown as the obsessed lover-boy who indulges in the Holi hungama .

Most Hindi-film music directors have often asserted that the Holi situation is an integral part of the Indian ethnic-culture which easily extends onto the silver-screen.

Quite often, our Hindi films seem ‘incomplete’ if there is no on-screen Holi situation, was what Naushad-saab, Kalyanji-Anandji, Laxmikant Pyarelal , Bappi Lahiri Anu Malik and R D Burman have often said to me in the past.

In fact some of the most popular evergreen Holi songs like ‘Holi Ke Din’ (Sholay), ‘Aaj Na Chhoddenge ( Kati Patang), Nadiya Se Dariya ( Namak Haram), Holi Re Holi ( Paraya Dhan) have been composed by R D Burman ( also known as Pancham-Da).

Composer-singer Anu Malik had dared to deviate into funky-folksy-fusion westernized flavor and English phrases with his foot-tapping song ‘Do Me A Favour—Let’s Play Holi’ ( Waqt-The Race Against Time) ..

Real-life boisterous filmy Holi revelry parties held at studios ( like RK Studios—hosted by showman Raj Kapoor and YashRaj Studios convened by Yash Chopra or the ones hosted by showman Subhash Ghai) or at five-star hotel lawns or at homely bungalow lawns .

Like the exclusive star-studded Holi-Utsav’ day-time celebrations hosted by superstar Amitabh Bachchan and his family on their Juhu-Pratiksha bungalow lawns or by Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar on their bungalow-lawns.

At these Holi parties it’s most-of-the-time, a ‘pehchaan-kaun’ situation. Because with bright garish contrast Holi colours, applied all across the film-celebrities faces, it’s quite difficult to instantly recognize some of them.

Many years ago, Amitabh Bachchan Jaya and Abhishek co-hosted their perhaps first-ever mega-Holi-hungama-rang barse-dignified-revelry ( I think it was in the year 2004) on their lush lawns inside their landmark Juhu-Prateeksha bungalow.

Where the Bachchan-parivaar had personally and formally invited me. It was a ‘strictly-no-photographs-please’ star-studded yet exclusive homely event. Normally I don’t play Holi as sometimes the oil-based colours are sticky and stubborn and difficult to get rid off.

As I entered the decorated gates of ‘Prateeksha’, host Amitabh-jee gracefully applied a laal-teeka on my forehead and co-host Abhishek sprayed me with cool water.

Sensing my tensed-anxiety, the amused Abhishek said, “ No worries, Chaitanya-jee, we are using only approved herbal colours which will disappear, with just one scrub-wash. Jee bhar ke kheliye-gaa.

That’s how all the top actors and actresses will be merrily playing Holi without any tensions.” Having said that, Abhishek smeared me with bright colours.

Thankfully, I was not heaved and dropped into a nearby tank full of colourful water, where some top-celebs were playfully immersed. Keeping in mind, this current year 2022, I have selected < 22 > puraane-naye evergreen HOLI-Wood ( yaane ki Bollywood Holi) Hindi film-songs given below :

∙ 1) Holi Ke Din... (Sholay)
∙ 2 ) Dil Mein Holi Jal Rahi Hai… (Zakhmee)
∙ 3) Tan rang lo ji aaj mann rang lo. (Kohinoor)
∙ 4) Phagun aayo re... ( Phagun )
∙ 5) Arre ja re hat natkhat…( Navrang )
∙ 6) O dekho holi aayi... (Mashaal )
∙ 7) Rang di preet ne rang di... (Dhanwan)
∙ 8) Koi bheega hai rang se ... (Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost ) ∙ 9) Dekho Aayi Holi... ( Mangal Pandey )
∙ 10) Holi aaye re kanhayee… (Mother India )
∙11 ) Rang Barse... (Silsila)
∙ 12) Holi Khele Raghuveera... (Baghban)
∙ 13 ) Mohe Chedo Na... (Lamhe)
∙ 14 ) Ang se ang lagana sajan… (Darr )
∙ 15) Balam Pichchkari---(Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani)
∙ 16) Mal de gulal mohe, aaye holi aaye re(Kaamchor )
∙ 17) Aaj na chhoddenge—khelenge hum Holi ( Kati Patang) )
∙ 18) Do me a favour, lets play Holi—(Waqt-- Race against Time)
∙ 19 ) Lahu Munh Lag Gaye—(Raam Leela )
∙ 20) Bhaagi Re Bhaagi Brijbala---(Rajput)
∙ 21) Gali Gali Pataakha ((Pataakha)
∙ 22) Jai Jai Shiv Shankar (War--2019)