Why Biwi No. 1’s Karwa Chauth scene is peak 90s Bollywood!

As the married couples celebrate Karwa Chauth today, let's take a look at How Biwi No. 1's festivities defined the bizarre, brilliant logic of 90s Bollywood!

As someone growing up in a typical desi household, my understanding of Karwa Chauth is women dressing in heavy sarees and jewelry, starving until the moon shows itself to elongate the lives of their husbands, who, are usually snacking in the other room dressed in the worst pair of shorts, while largely looking uninterested. However, somehow I’ve always been drawn towards the festival thanks to its larger than life celebration on-screen. The rooftop rituals, the glistening thalis, and the gorgeous moon have often accounted for a couple of melodramatic yet iconic moments courtesy of SLB, YRF and Dharma’s impeccable aesthetic and storytelling acumen, that have added to the viewers fixation for the festival. But I’d still say no one has ever used Karwa Chauth like David Dhwan in Biwi No.1. I feel the sequence served peak 90s Bollywood as it was a signature blend of Indian traditions and melodrama garnished with some casual misogyny in the garb of comedy.

Also Read: Karwa Chauth and Bollywood: How the moon became a witness to love!

The scene featured Prem (Salman Khan), having two women observing a fast for him - ​Pooja (Karisma Kapoor) the traditional homemaker wife and ​Rupali (Sushmita Sen), his glamourous, model mistress. The sequence followed Prem physically running between his home and his mistress’ just to ensure the smooth completion of the rituals and breaking of fasts for the women. Known as the king of slapstick comedy during the decade, Dhawan utilised the festival of spousal devotion to expose the husband's infidelity, which served as the core conflict of the film. Perfect isn’t it? But here’s where the set-piece became a representation of all that embodied the bizarre fun and chaos of a typical 90s Bollywood comedy. 

Prem’s loyal side-kick, Lakhan (Anil Kapoor), despite timely warnings and moral policing, helps him manage his affair. Their nervousness, banters and efforts to keep Prem’s misadventures under the wraps, despite being used as a comical tool, embodied the decade’s view of male infidelity as a humorous logistical challenge that could be resolved by a dramatic apology which the naaraz wife will ultimately accept kyunki that’s what a ‘virtuous’ woman would always do to uphold the sanctity of marriage and kids, right? But that wasn’t all, the film and the Karwa Chauth sequence particularly had undertones of another regressive message on female character morality. By dressing Pooja in Indian attire and Rupali in sleek, westernized outfits, the movie implied that virtue and moral superiority belonged only to saree-clad women, while modernly dressed, independent women are inherently the home-breaking villain. It was the era of globalisation, hence the sequence reinforcing regressive ideas, and the masses still loving it baffled me until I saw the heartwinning conclusion of the scene.

As dramatic as it gets, Prem, who cheats on his innocent wife, got finally exposed - not by a business rival, not by a jealous staff member, but, brace yourself, by a pet dog! I feel it was a legendary twist that completed the scene’s overall absurdity. Just when Rupali is about to complete the ritual for Prem, Tiger, his labrador stands up for the dignity of his mumma, by knocking the chhalnee out of Rupali's hands and unearthing Prem’s affair, reminding us that not all heroes wear capes, some just wear a collar and have a penchant for dramatically timed action to save the principles of a family. The scene stunned me as a kid and still amuses me as an adult!

What do you think of this scene? Tell us in the comments below!

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