Dahi Handi is an event that celebrates the birth of Lord Krishan. It involves several teams of young men competing with each other to build a human pyramid that is tall enough to reach and break a clay pot that is hanging from a great height. The men are usually surrounded by hoards of people who dance and play music while cheering them on.
Dahi Handi is based on the legend of Lord Krishna who along with his friends would steal butter and other milk products from neighboring homes as kids. As Janmashtami comes closer, let us revisit some iconic Dahi Handi scenes in Bollywood films that capture the spirit of this entertaining occasion.
Oh My God
Oh My God is a 2012 satirical comedy-drama starring Paresh Rawal and Akshay Kumar based on the Gujarati stage-play Kanji Virudh Kanji. The film follows Kanji Mehta, an atheist who sells Hindu idols and antiques. When an earthquake destroys only his shop, he decides to sue god when he learns that the insurance company does not cover natural calamities as they are “Acts of God.”
In the movie, the Dahi Handi scene has great significance as he presents the practice of Dahi Handi to indicate in court that youngsters endanger their lives in order to break the handi and earn the prize money. He also states that the city wastes a lot of resources in organizing such festivals. The iconic Go Go Go Govinda with Prabhudeva and Sonakshi Sinha is from this film.
Shaitan
Shaitan (2011) by Bejoy Nambiar is a crime thriller starring Rajeev Khandelwal, Kalki Koechlin, Gulshan Devaiah, Neil Bhoopalam, Rajkumar Rao, and Kriti Kulhari. The film follows a gang of upper-middle-class young adults who accidentally kill two people while intoxicated. To evade the police, they must bribe an inspector with Rs 25 lakhs. In order to collect the bribe money they hatch a kidnapping plan. However, their plan backfires when an upright cop is assigned to the case. A major chase sequence is set against the backdrop of Dahi Handi with a Dahi Handi song sung by Chandan Shive, a Marathi folk singer.
Agneepath
Agneepath tells the story of Vijay, a man trying to seek vengeance for his father’s death and humiliation by the evil Kancha Cheena. The movie is seeped into Marathi culture and involves one of Bollywood cinema’s most iconic character entries. Hrithik Roshan appears on the screen as Vijay with his chiseled physique and sharp look.
Khud-Daar
Khud-Daar’s ‘Mach Gaya Shor Sari Nagri Me’ is a must listen to bring you in the mood for Janmashtami celebrations. In this film, the Dahi Handi celebrations are picturized with Amitabh Bachchan as the protagonist.
Aankhen: The Master Plan
Our final entry is another Big B film called Aankhen. The Dahi Handi scene in the film inspires Bachchan’s character to form a team of blind men to rob a bank after he sees a group of blind men form a human pyramid to break the handi.
