Movies with a Gujarati flavor!

The much hyped movie serving as the Bollywood debut of popular TV actor Sushant Singh Rajput's, Kai Po Che!, hits the list just by virtue of its name. Ranging from the movie's name, which in itself is Gujarati, meaning "I have cut the Kite" to its setting and surrounding, this movie gives it the touch needed for the metaphorical concept it plays. The song 'Manjha' once again reminds its viewers of it's connection to 'Uttarayan', a festival widely celebrated in Gujarat. The title gives the concept a justification due to its intense friendship, communal political fights and the innocence it kills. Whilst the movie may have nothing to do with Navratri directly, it relates to Gujarat and making it on this list.

Life Partner, a 2009 Bollywood romantic comedy, is one which cannot be forgotten when talking about Navratri and Garba. Bhavesh (Tusshar Kapoor) belongs to a strict Gujarati family, whose father is a tough follower of traditions, forcing him to opt for arranged marriage. Meeting with Prachi (Prachi Desai) and her family, the alliance is fixed and he eventually falls in love with her. The marriage celebrations are greatly backed by Gujarati traditions and Garba along with suitable music and beats of the drums. The conflict, though, begins due to Prachi not being an ardent follower of traditions and wishing for a modern life. Despite dramatic events and numerous hurdles, their love for each other does give them a happily ever after .  

The much remembered and much loved film, Kal Ho Na Ho, often known as KHNH, is based on the love triangle of Naina Catherine Kapur (Preity Zinta), Aman Mathur (Shah Rukh Khan) and Rohit Patel (Saif Ali Khan). The Gujarati touch comes in the form of Rohit's heavily Gujarati family. There are numerous scenes where the diction and dialogue, and even stereotypes, feed into the Gujarati aspect of the movie. Perhaps the ultimate cultural moment is during Naina and Rohit's engagement, where we see a mixing of the Punjabi and Gujarati cultures. Another aspect hard to forget from the movie would be 'Kanta Ben' who appears time and again, given the wrong assumption of Aman and Rohit to be a romantic couple - adding a comical spice to the heart-felt movie. 

An upcoming movie, Ram Leela, which is to be released on 15th November is said to be yet another adaptation from Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet as set in Gujarat. A recent movie Isaaq, is said to have a similar concept. We judge that what sets this one apart is that it is being directed by the respected Sanjay Leela Bansal, who seems to have a different way of looking at and presenting stories. Though the difference is not yet obvious judging from the banners alone, it can be assumed the movie shall have a touch of Gujarati costumes and much possibly its background as well, with spice of Gujarati inspired music. Judging from the character names Ram and Leela, it is safe to assume it shall have authenticity of Gujarat's background in it. Let us see!

While not all of these movies have a prime focus on Gujarati celebration of Garba, they do feature characters, symbols, beliefs, traditions music, etc. that are a major part of the Gujarati culture. Such additions and concepts in movies allow the viewers to get a taste of the true diversity of India!

BollyCurry now signs off, leaving its readers to think about their favorite aspect of the Gujarati culture.