Fun, frolic and flirtation. And colours. How could I forget the colours? These are just some of the things that come to mind when I think of Holi. Also called the ‘Festival of Colours’, Holi (falling on 18th March this year) is a Hindu festival that celebrates the arrival of spring and the triumph of good over evil. But to be honest, it’s a festival that transcends religious and cultural boundaries. Anyone can enjoy Holi and SBS on Demand’s Hindi Cinema Collection has just the right films to bring out your inner mischief-maker to celebrate this joyous occasion.
Celebrate life
With the change in seasons approaching, the festival is a moment to pause and acknowledge that life is full of possibilities. Take our three male protagonists in Each one of them feels stuck in their lives in one way or another. But the monotony of their lives is broken when they decide to go to Spain for a boys’ trip as part of a pact they made together. Heavily borrowing from Dil Chahta Hai (2001), the buddy road trip film that changed the course of Hindi cinema, Zoya Akhtar’s film nonetheless has an identity and charm of its own. The crackling chemistry between our three male leads played by Hrithik Roshan, Abhay Deol and Farhan Akhtar doesn’t hurt. It’s a film that has immense rewatch value because it captures something that’s true and honest about male friendships.
Celebrate love
If you have an inner flirt, or you consider yourself to be a Loki variant, Holi is the perfect festival for you! Just look at Jai Vardhan Singh from Imtiaz Ali’s He’s a massive flirt and doesn’t believe in settling down (Saif Ali Khan in a role that’s tailor-made for him). He meets Meera (Deepika Padukone) and they both agree to keep it casual and not get their feelings involved. But feelings do what they gotta do and slowly but slowly, emotions come to the party. What’s interesting about this typical rom-com template is the slight twist that Ali gives the story. The late Rishi Kapoor plays the wise sage in this film who counsels Jai by narrating his own story. Hence, we get two parallel tracks – one in the present and the other in the past – where Saif plays the younger protagonist in both.
If we’re talking about celebrating love, it comes in many different colours, and all of them are beautiful. One of the most sensitive films in this collection is Hansal Mehta’s Set against the backdrop of increasing pressure to decriminalise same-sex relationships in India – having same-sex relationships was still illegal and punishable as per law at the time – the film tells the true story of Ramchandra Siras (one of Manoj Bajpayee’s best performances) and his fight against society and the legal system to not be seen as a criminal despite his sexual orientation. It’s one of the best films on same-sex relationships to be made in Hindi. There’s a beautiful sequence in the film where Bajpayee’s character sits down to listen to the song, “Aap ki nazron ne samjha” (Your eyes considered me worthy of love), which is worth the price of admission alone.
Celebrate the triumph of good over evil
If you’re after grandeur, look no further than Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s . Bhansali loves grandeur and sometimes, I feel he makes films solely for the the purpose of constructing magnificent sets rather than telling the story at hand. But the fact that he can magnify every scene and make it seem larger-than-life is undeniable. And it’s this larger-than-life quality that actually works in favour of this film. It’s a film that demands that kind of treatment, so that our lovers Bajirao (Ranveer Singh) and his second wife Mastani (Deepika Padukone) can eventually be together against the backdrop of warrior kings and political subterfuge.
Celebrate second chances
Holi is about realising that life is meant to be lived, not just pass by. It’s about embracing possibilities and not being scared of them. And that’s what Shashi (Sridevi, in one of her final onscreen performances before her death) realises in Gauri Shinde’s . Shashi is an Indian housewife who is taken for granted by her husband and her family. Her family keeps making fun of herm particularly for her lack of fluency in English. A chance trip to New York makes her realise her worth and that she has more to offer to this world than she was made to believe. The film rests on Sridevi’s able shoulders and she carries it with effortless ease. Definitely a great comfort watch over a weekend with wine in hand.
Another film that’s all about giving yourself second chances is Ritesh Batra’s internationally acclaimed . Saajan Fernandes (a stellar performance by the late Irrfan Khan) is a loner and a recluse who believes the best days of his life are behind him. A widower, he’s preparing for his retirement and waste away his remaining days on earth. However, a chance mix-up with his office lunch begins an unlikely correspondence with Ila (an equally brilliant Nimrat Kaur), a housewife who seems unhappy in her marriage and appears to share a lot in common with Saajan. As a study in loneliness, The Lunchbox is brilliant (much like Spike Jonze’s Her that came out the same year). But where the film truly shines is how it slowly transitions into a more hopeful narrative. As Shaikh (Nawazuddin Siddiqui in a delightful supporting act), Saajan’s work protégé ,says, “sometimes the wrong train can take you to the right station.” It’s a film about realising that it’s never too late. You just need to give yourself another shot.
These films and more are streaming now at SBS On Demand as part of the , which also includes Hindi-language cooking shows, documentaries and news, plus a range of programs with Hindi subtitles. Hindi films are also showcased in the.
Follow the author
