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EYE ON BOLLYWOOD SEPTEMBER 25, 2026 | The Indian Eye 42

Ganpati Days: When

Mumbai’s Stars Bow to Bappa

From Lalbaugcha Raja to family visarjan ceremonies, Ganesh Chaturthi once

again brought Mumbai’s celebrities into the city’s most cherished celebration of

faith, family and community.

OUR BUREAU the blending of tradition, family cel-
ebration and contemporary popular
Mumbai
culture.
or ten days every year, Mumbai Her home also became a place
changes its rhythm. The city for darshan, with former MP Navneet
Fof films, cricket, business and Rana visiting during the festivities.
television turns towards Lord Ga- For Bollywood superstar Shah
nesha, as homes and public pandals Rukh Khan, the festival was simi-
become centres of prayer, music and larly centred on family rather than
celebration. And as millions of or- spectacle. While extending Ganesh
dinary devotees line up for darshan, Chaturthi greetings to his fans, Khan
the city’s celebrities too become described his own celebration as a
part of the same festive landscape. simple family occasion.
“Wife does the Aarti and then
the prayers and tonight will do the
At the heart of Mumbai’s Ga- Visarjan. Kids and friends gather to
nesh Chaturthi celebrations is hang around and laugh a lot. Very

Lalbaugcha Raja, where faith simple and family time,” he said.
The remark offered an intimate
and popular culture meet in glimpse into how one of India’s big-
one of the city’s most recognis- A huge number of devotees take part in the immersion procession of Lalbaugcha Raja, in gest film stars approaches a festival
that has become an important part of
able public festivals. This year, Mumbai on Saturday (ANI Photo) Mumbai’s social calendar.
Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar
the famous pandal once again bol of Mumbai itself — its crowds, and may there be happiness and also joined the celebrations, shar-
attracted a steady stream of its artistic traditions, its public cele- well-being in everyone’s life,” he said. ing a video from the Ganpati visar-
Shinde brought a more person-
jan and posting a familiar farewell:
devotees, including actors, brations and its ability to bring peo- al dimension to his visit. The actor “Ganpati Bappa Morya, come early
ple from different walks of life into
business leaders, sports per- one space. sought Bappa’s blessings ahead next year!”
sonalities and public figures. The tradition has deep roots. of the release of his Marathi film That phrase captures something
The Lalbaugcha Raja Sarvajanik Ga- Manjar, which is scheduled to re- essential about Mumbai’s relation-
neshotsav Mandal was established lease on September 18. His visit re- ship with Ganpati. The festival ar-
Among the visitors was US Am- in 1934 at Putlabai Chawl. The idol flected a familiar tradition among rives with enormous excitement,
bassador to India Sergio Gor, who has been maintained by the Kambli artists — beginning an important dominates the city for ten days and
offered prayers at the Lalbaugcha family for more than eight decades, professional journey by seeking di- then disappears into the waters
Raja pandal. For an American diplo- creating a continuity that has made vine blessings. during visarjan. Yet the farewell is
mat witnessing the festival, the scale the celebration part of Mumbai’s cul- But Mumbai’s celebrity Ganpa- never entirely final. It carries an ex-
and energy of the celebration offered tural memory. ti celebrations are not confined to pectation of return.
a glimpse into a deeply rooted aspect The presence of celebrities adds public pandals. For many stars, the The celebrities may command
of Mumbai’s cultural life. another layer to this public spec- festival is equally about bringing cameras, but during Ganeshotsav
“It’s absolutely incredible. I’m tacle. Raymond Group Managing Lord Ganesha home and celebrat- they become part of a much larger
honoured to be here,” Gor told Director Gautam Singhania visited ing with family. crowd. Actors, industrialists, sports
ANI, describing the atmosphere as Lalbaugcha Raja and described the Actor Shilpa Shetty once again stars and diplomats stand alongside
vibrant and difficult to explain to atmosphere simply as “fantastic”. welcomed Ganpati into her home ordinary devotees, united for a mo-
someone who had not experienced Actors Manoj Joshi and Sayaji Shin- and participated in the visarjan ment by the same chants and prayers.
it personally. de were also among those who of- celebrations with her family. After That may be the enduring pow-
The ambassador’s visit also high- fered prayers. performing puja, she joined the pro- er of Mumbai’s Ganpati festival. In
lighted the extraordinary reach of For Joshi, the occasion was less cession and danced to the beats of a city defined by fame, ambition
Ganesh Chaturthi beyond its reli- about celebrity visibility and more the dhol. Dressed in a traditional and relentless movement, Ganesh
gious significance. Lalbaugcha Raja about the universal hopes associat- Maharashtrian saree and jewellery, Chaturthi creates a rare space where
is not simply a place where devotees ed with the festival. “May God keep she represented another familiar everyone — including its biggest
come to pray. It has become a sym- all the states happy and prosperous, image of Mumbai’s Ganeshotsav — stars — can simply be a devotee.

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