Holi (Hindi: होली) is a religious spring festival celebrated by Hindus. It is primarily observed in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, and countries with large Indic diaspora populations following Hinduism, such as Suriname, Malaysia, Guyana, South Africa, Trinidad, United Kingdom, United States, Mauritius, and Fiji. It is also known as Phagwah and Festival of Colours, or as Doḷajāta (Oriya: ଦୋଳଯାତ) in Orissa and Dol Jatra (Bengali: দোলযাত্রা) or Basantotsav ("spring festival") (Bengali: বসন্তোৎসব) in West Bengal. The most celebrated Holi is in the Braj region, in locations connected to the Lord Krishna: Mathura, Vrindavan, Nandagaon, and Barsana, which become tourist destinations during the season of Holi. Large parts of South India, however, do not celebrate Holi with the same fervour.
In Vaishnavism, Hiranyakashipu is the great king of demons, and he had been granted a boon by Brahma, which made it almost impossible for him to be killed. The boon was due to his long penance, after which he had demanded that he not be killed "during day or night; inside the home or outside, not on earth or in the sky; neither by a man nor an animal; neither by astra nor by shastra". Consequently, he grew arrogant and attacked the Heavens and the Earth. He demanded that people stop worshipping Gods and start praising respectfully to him.
Ritesh Deshmukh (born 17 December 1978, in Mumbai, Maharashtra) is an Indian actor and architect who appears in Bollywood films. He is the son of Vilasrao Deshmukh, the Union Minister for Science, Technology and Earth Sciences, Government of India, and the former Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
Deshmukh debuted with K. Vijaya Bhaskar's Tujhe Meri Kasam (2003) with his later to be wife Genelia D'Souza, but it was not until 2004 that he achieved success, when he appeared in the commercially successful comedy, Masti and the critically acclaimed Bardaasht. His work in Masti was nominated for several awards, including the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor category. He later starred in successful films such as Heyy Babyy, Dhamaal, House Full. Double Dhamaal, Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya and Housefull 2.
Deshmukh began his film career with the 2003 romance, Tujhe Meri Kasam opposite Genelia D'Souza. The film bombed at the box office, however the lead pair's performances were acclaimed. He later appeared in Out of Control in the same year, which didn't create magic financially either. His third film, Masti which was a comic thriller, managed to strike extremely well at the box office and critically worldwide. He gained to fame after his performance in Masti, the movie Masti made him win 2 awards, and then made friendly appearances in films such as Bardaasht and Naach. His first lead role to succeed him was his rebel character in the sex-comedy Kyaa Kool Hai Hum with Tusshar Kapoor. The film was panned by critics, though loved by public, and was a moderate success at the box office.