With the festival of Durga Puja brought to a close, WomenNow lists some of the famous Bollywood stars and their religious beliefs.
Salman Khan and Ganesh Visarjan
Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has been unfailingly celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi for the past eleven years now. The entire Khan family usually gets together at their Bandra residence ‘Galaxy Apartments’ for the puja. With the apartment closed for renovation this year, it was the turn of Alvira (Salman’s sister) to host the deity in her home. Even Salman’s former lady loves Katrina Kaif and Sangeeta Bijlani were among the horde of celebrities that came to pay their homage.
The Bachchans’ visit to Siddhivinayak temple
The entire Bachchan family is spiritual at heart. Amitabh Bachchan along with wife Jaya, daughter-in-law Aishwarya and son Abhishek keeps frequenting the iconic shrine. The devotees are usually in for a big surprise when the Bollywood family come calling. The entire family even walked barefoot once from Juhu to Siddhivinayak temple in the wee hours of midnight to seek Lord Ganesha’s blessings. When Amitabh was unconscious and fighting for survival after his near-fatal accident on the sets of Coolie, Jaya would walk barefoot from Breach Candy to Siddhivinayak Temple everyday to pray for his health. The actor made a mercurial recovery soon after and the rest is history.
Durga Puja in Bollywood
Bollywood has always had a soft spot for Durga Puja. From movies like Devdas glorifying the pujas to almost every Bengali connect in the industry getting in a festive mood as the puja draws near. Notable among them is Mukerji’s Durga Puja, a tradition started by Shashadhar Mukerji. Kajol, Tanuja and Rani Mukherjee join in the festivities with magnificent pandal setups that draw thousands of visitors. It is like revisiting the mighty pandals of Kolkata.
