From screen to soul: festivals via film

In Indian cinema, a festival is never just a celebration, it is a heartbeat.

- CHAITANYA K. PRASAD

A plot twist. A pause before the storm. A grand, glittering breath. From the swirling gulal of Holi to the solemn shimmer of Diwali diyas, from Eid celebrations bursting with rhythm to Lohri bonfires under an astarlit sky, Indian films have long used festivals as more than just backdrops. They are portals. Cinematic rituals. Emotional punctuation marks in the stories being told and remembered. As Diwali approaches, it is worth reflecting on just how powerfully cinema in India has preserved, performed, and reinvented the art of celebration, for all communities, all faiths, and all seasons of the soul.

Some of the most iconic scenes in Indian cinema unfold beneath the glow of festivity.

Consider “Rang Barse” from Silsila, a Holi song that speaks not just of colour, but of layered emotions, unspoken tensions, and the cathartic joy of release, a moment where the personal and the festive converge onscreen. Then there is the effervescent “Balam Pichkari” from Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, where Holi becomes a cinematic turning point, playful, energetic, and unfiltered. It marks a moment of transformation for Naina, as friendships deepen and laughter becomes liberation.

In Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, the grand Diwali homecoming sequence, with its glittering chandeliers, perfectly coordinated attire, and overwhelming emotional payoff, has become a cultural shorthand for familial warmth and aspiration. Not just a dramatic beat, but a memory etched in visual opulence.