Bollywood & Holi parties: Isha Ambani continues the legend with star studded 'Roman Holi'

(from left) Lucia Silversti, creative director jewellery, Bulgari; Jean Christophe Babin, CEO, Bulgari; and Priyanka Chopra Jonas with Isha M. Ambani, director, Reliance Industries Ltd, at 'A Roman Holi' in Mumbai.

Isha Ambani’s Holi party has ushered in the Holi season 2024, with celebrities like Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Shilpa Shetty, Ayushmann Khurrana, Madhuri Dixit in attendance dressed in Holi chic, of course. No, it was not pristine whites that the celebrities were seen wearing but pastel shades, earthy colours and Indo-Western apparel, apart from stylish sarees.

And this is just the beginning.

From Ekta Kapoor to Amitabh Bachchan, how Bollywood celebrates Holi

Raj Kapoor’s Holi parties at RK Studios Chembur in yesteryears, may have set high standards for Holi bashes, but many actors like Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan still continue the trend.

Ekta Kapoor’s annual Holi party again is the talk of the town and well-attended by TV and film stars alike.

Holi parties are not the only way Bollywood celebrates the festival of colours. Many are traditional and even burn the ‘Holika’ the previous evening, after which the party begins. Some like Karishma Tanna prefer to make the quintessential Holi drink thandai at home.

Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui recalls having thandai laced with bhaang on Holi one year and getting high. Manushi Chillar gets nostalgic about eating home-made gujiyas on Holi.

Deepika Padukone once shared with IANS, that Holi is one of her favourite festivals and she remembers, when she was a kid and played colours with friends. “Holi has been one of my favourite festivals since childhood. Playing Holi with friends from my building after coming back from school is one of my favourite childhood Holi memories. Preparations for the festival would start at least a week before,” she recalled.

In films, too, some memorable songs have been picturised on actors on the occasion of Holi, ranging from classics like ‘Rang Barse,” in Silsila to ‘Holi ke din' in Sholay and 'Holi re Holi' in Praya Dhan to newer Bollywood songs like 'Balam Pichkari' from Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani - these songs and their remixes continue to be played in Holi parties across the country even today.

So, bring out your crispy whites and get ready to gorge on Puran polis and thandai and dance with gay abandon to Bollywood songs and celebrate Holi.