Astrology In Movies!

It can be said that astrology is one of the strongest and most important facets of the Hindu belief. Many Hindus believe that heavenly bodies - the moon, the planets, etc. - have an influence in the lives of human beings and that these influences are results of reincarnation and karma. Astrology is regarded as such an essential substance that newborns are traditionally named based on their astrological charts, and this concept becomes further pervasive in many other areas of life including decisions about marriage, moving into a new home or even opening a new business.

While Western science dismisses this belief, Indian science embrace astrology as an important position among the study of sciences. This is also reflected in the way astrology is showcased in movies from the beginning of Hindi cinema (early 1930s) to date. With today being celebrated as International Astrology Day, BollyCurry presents to you a small list of movies that have included bouts of astrology on one form or another.

The 2009 Priyanka Chopra starrer Whats Your Raashee? pretty much completely revolved around astrology, with Harman Baweja (the hero) meeting a girl from each star sign (all played by Chopra) in order to find his perfect soulmate in the quickest manner. It was a fun portrayal of the way people perceive star signs and how it affects personality and compatibility with others, a belief that still exists to this day not just in India but the world over, This is majorly achieved through the astrology column featuring in various international newspapers.

Saawan - The Love Season (2006) also features a powerful astrologer (Salman Khan) who predicts the unfortunate death of the heroine, earning the wrath of the hero. The hero blames the astrologer for his accurate prediction and goes after him for revenge. The entire movie is based on how the heroine's star sign collides with the astrologer's; and in the end he gives away his life in return for hers.

In the mega blockbuster Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), there is a scene in the second half of the movie where an astrologer claims that Anjali (Kajol Devgn) and Aman (Salman Khan) cannot get married until a certain time period as their stars are not aligned, and that there is something which may be bringing a disturbance in Anjali's stars. This is a common obstacle in several Bollywood movies and the more traditional members of the families usually remain worried enough to follow the astrologer's advice since they have deep beliefs following this.

2010 saw Milenge Milenge in which the skeptical heroine (Kareena Kapoor) is told by a card reader that she will meet the love of her life in a foreign land soon. When she does in fact meet a man (Shahid Kapoor) who she thinks she could fall in love with, she wonders if the predictions were true, until she finds out that he was lying and leaves him for good. The hero then puts their relationship to test by leaving things to destiny with the belief that would unite soon enough if they were destined to - much like in the Hollywood film Serendipity.

Then there is a twist in tale with Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006), a concept which challenges the beliefs of those who believe in astrology when one of the characters is convinced to reject a girl (Dia Mirza) for his son (Abhishek Bachchan) since she is considered to be a manglik. It is believed that a manglik is one among those few whose astrological makeup is devastating for marriage, mostly leading to the death of the spouse after a calculated period of marriage. The protagonist of the movie (Sanjay Dutt), manages to challenge this belief while still maintaining respect and eventually resolves the marriage. It was a contrasting opinion to the rest of the movies listed, but it provided compelling food for thought.

Writer: Aradhna K.
Editor(s): Sonia R. and Jenifer Y.
Graphics: Shikha A.