Band, baaja, extravaganza

It all began as a fierce song & dance competition between the families but ended, as always, as a huge celebration of love,” wrote Priyanka Chopra on her Insta account last December, giving the world a glimpse of her sangeet ceremony – during her lavish wedding to pop star Nick Jonas, that stretched from Jodhpur to Mumbai to Delhi. “And what a performance it was. Each family telling our stories through song and dance, filled with lots of laughter and love…” she added. The sangeet video has 4.1 million views on Instagram.

It’s not just Priyanka Chopra. Or other celebrities. The simple, homely Indian sangeet ceremony is now a mega music concert. And everyone is invited. DJ Gaurav Malvai, who has played at almost all Bollywood weddings this season, says, “The bling in sangeet has gotten very big. It has become more entertainment-based; now, you have multiple performers and a lot of money is spent on designing sets and hiring professional dancers. The guest list of sangeet ceremonies often stretches to 3,000 – a number that was once considered too large for even the actual wedding ceremony. You have belly dancers flown in from Turkey, fire dancers from Jodhpur etc.
Wedding planner Gita Samuel says the sangeet has, over the years, evolved into the most looked-forward event in weddings. “With theme-based décor like… Lost Worlds, Atlantis, Lemuria, Santorini, Utopia, Cirque, Shalimar, The Gypsy Caravan... we are seeing a scale of sangeet ceremony that was unheard of. Most people combine sangeet with what was once known as the cocktail evening. The canvas for the ceremony is huge and imagination runs wild. It’s an event where you can make your impossible dreams a reality,” she says.
How did a humble ceremony — where women relatives of the bride sat with dhol and sang folk songs — become so over the top? Wedding choreographer Kaniskha Varma explains: “This is the party generation. Youngsters want to have fun with show-stopping performances. The idea is to dance like a pro, and party hard with lots of performances that keep the guests asking for more.”
Entrepreneur Pritika Chatterjee, 27, did nine performances on her sangeet night this February. “We wanted to be the couple who danced the whole night. I personally compered the sangeet night, danced solo to Dil diya gallan, couple danced on Dil chori saada ho gaya, Mere naam tu, danced with my sister on Bahara bahara, and had five performances with my friends. My husband also had solo performances, and numbers to which he danced with his friends. The stage was set like a musical show.”
Chatterjee wanted the sangeet affair to be “a night to remember”. “We didn’t want to be the couple who was just sitting on the side watching others enjoy themselves.”
Sample this: #sangeet has more than 532,466 posts on Instagram. Says wedding planner Sonali Thakore, “Sangeet is the most power-laden event in weddings these days and everyone wants his/her performance to go viral. There are demands for out-of-the-ordinary and over-the-top venues and decorations where family performances are sold like a Bollywood blockbuster song and dance routine. The shows are being choreographed by leading names in B’wood at times for impact.”
Wedding planner Ajay Modgil says the sangeet ceremony is no longer limited to a particular region. “Sangeet has been accepted and embraced by different cultures. It doesn’t matter whether you are a Punjabi, Bengali, Gujarati or Maharashtrian – everyone wants naachna-gaana to be the focus of the wedding. From creating a spectacular, theatrical welcome to conjuring an aesthetically-scintillating performance, the sangeet ceremony unfolds like a Bollywood movie.”
We are seeing a scale of sangeet ceremony that was previously unheard of. The canvas is huge and imagination runs wild. It’s an event where you can make your impossible dreams a reality
—Gita Samuel, wedding planner
Whether it’s actors or non-actors, on their sangeet evenings, everyone is a superstar dancing on a set that can compare with big-budget blockbusters

Actor Priyanka Chopra (centre, in white) with her family at her sangeet ceremony at Umaid Bhawan Palace, Jodhpur

Aashka Paarth (above); (right) Preetika Chatterjee with her groom Mudit Todi

Source: indiatimes.com