Sooraj Barjatya's upcoming film Yeh Prem Mol Liya, starring Ayushmann Khurrana and Sharvari, features the song Bulaye Chhathi Maa, composed by Himesh Reshammiya, with lyrics by Manoj Muntashir Shukla. Sung by Shreya Ghoshal and Keshav Anand, the song captures the festive spirit of Chhath Puja and brings the familiar Rajshri family setting to the screen.
But, how authentic is the portrayal? We have a closer look.Chhath Puja is a festival rooted in faith, discipline and tradition.
From thekua and bamboo baskets to the sight of devotees standing in water and offering prayers to the Sun God, every ritual has its own significance. So, when a film decides to bring the festival to the big screen, getting these details right matters.At first glance, the song gets several traditional details right.
The ghats, bamboo baskets, offerings and devotees standing in the water give it a familiar Chhath Puja setting. However, a closer look reveals a few details that may not sit entirely well with those who celebrate the festival.
While the song captures its overall spirit, some of its visual choices lean more towards cinematic presentation than actual customs.Thekua, sugarcane and the traditional dauraOne of the strongest aspects of the song is its attention to the offerings associated with Chhath Puja. The bamboo baskets, known as daura and soop, are filled with familiar items such as sugarcane, coconut, bananas, apples, citrus fruits, raw turmeric, ginger, thekua and clay diyas.
The lyrics also mention the preparation of thekua, a traditional offering made using wheat flour and jaggery. The line, 'Aata aur gud le aao, thekua banao milke', brings out the community spirit of the festival, where families come together to prepare the offerings.However, there is one noticeable detail that could have been avoided.
A whole bottle gourd (lauki) is seen among the offerings in the daura. Traditionally, lauki is associated with the first day of Thatch Puja, Nahay Khay, when devotees prepare kaddu-bhaat as their first meal after taking a ritual bath.
It is not a regular offering placed in the basket during Sandhya Arghya or Usha Arghya. This appears to be a small art-direction oversight, possibly because items associated with different days of the festival have been brought together for the visual.
Bottle gourd seen in daura/soop in a still from the song. Carrying the daura is not a raceAnother familiar sight in the song is Ayushmann Khurrana's character carrying a daura on his head as he makes his way down the ghat steps.
This is an important part of the tradition, with male family members often taking responsibility for carrying the baskets filled with offerings. However, the actor appears to be in quite a hurry while carrying it.
In reality, devotees and family members take care while walking with the daura. The basket contains offerings that are prepared with great care, and allowing them to fall or get scattered is something people would naturally want to avoid.
The steps leading to water bodies can also be slippery, making it important to walk slowly and carefully.The sindoor detailThe application of sindoor is another distinctive part of Chhath Puja, particularly for married women. Traditionally, many women apply a long streak of bright orange or yellowish-orange sindoor, often referred to as bhakhra or piyara sindoor, extending from the tip of the nose towards the hairline.
A still from the song. Sharvari and the other women in the song are seen wearing sindoor, but most appear to have the more familiar red variety.
While this may be a creative choice, the brighter orange shade is a more recognisable visual associated with the festival in several regions.The rituals are there, but so is the romanceThe song does a good job of showing devotees standing waist-deep in water, holding their soop filled with offerings and offering arghya to the setting and rising Sun. These are among the most important moments of Chhath Puja, observed on the third and fourth days of the festival.The lyrics also touch upon the 36-hour nirjala vrat (fast without water), the gathering of families at the ghats and prayers for the well-being and prosperity of loved ones.
These references help establish the devotional context. Sharvari and Ayushmann Khurrana in Yeh Prem Mol Liya's Chhath song.
However, the song takes a cinematic turn with its romantic treatment. Ayushmann’s character is seen applying sindoor to Sharvari at the ghat as the couple exchange romantic glances.
He stands right behind her in the water, holding the soop with her as they turn around together, performing a parikrama, a ritual not traditionally seen at a Chhath ghat. Chhath is a festival marked by strict austerity, penance and devotion to the Sun God, leaving little room for romantic gestures of this kind.In actual Chhath observances, the focus remains on the vrat and prayers to the Sun God.
Married women apply sindoor to other women as part of the rituals, but the romantic gestures between the lead couple are clearly a film addition.Designer sarees and a picture-perfect ChhathThe costumes are another area where the film takes creative liberties. Traditionally, vratis often wear simple cotton or silk sarees, commonly in shades of yellow, orange and red.
The idea is to keep the occasion focussed on devotion rather than elaborate dressing.In the song, however, Sharvari and the supporting cast are seen in heavily embellished sarees, with elaborate mehendi and polished make-up. While dressing practices have evolved over the years and there is no single way in which everyone observes the festival, the styling here is more in keeping with a grand Bollywood celebration than a regular Chhath ghat.So, how authentic is the song?Bulaye Chhathi Maa gets the larger picture right.
The traditional offerings, thekua, daura, soop, arghya and the gathering of devotees bring the festival alive on screen. The lyrics also make an effort to acknowledge the devotion and family prayers that lie at the heart of Chhath Puja.But there are a few details that could have been handled better, particularly the way some rituals are turned into romantic moments.Ultimately, the song is a Rajshri-style celebration of Chhath Puja, complete with beautiful costumes, family bonding and romance.
It may not get every ritual right, but it does bring the festival's warmth and visual beauty to the screen.Directed by Sooraj Barjatya, Yeh Prem Mol Liya features Ayushmann Khurrana and Sharvari in the lead roles. The film is produced by Rajshri Productions in association with Mahaveer Jain Films and is scheduled to hit theatres worldwide on November 27.- Ends