Recently, Kareena Kapoor Khan was in the news for paying an enormous amount to the transgenders to bless Taimur. Apparently, when the paparazzi stationed themselves outside Saif and Kareena’s residence, the elders of the family got worried, and to save Taimur from the evil eye, they called the transgenders to bless him. Inviting the transgenders on an auspicious occasion is an ancient tradition. Many also believe that if you ask them to leave without giving them money, it brings bad luck. “Ancient myths bestowed the transgenders with special powers to bring luck and fertility. Unfortunately, people started fearing their curses more than acknowledging their power to bless,” reasons Kavyal Sedani, an expert on the matter.
No matter how rational we may consider ourselves to be, we all have some or the other obsession that makes us considerably superstitious. Some superstitions work as a placebo effect whereas others do have a strong reasoning in our customs and doctrines. B’wood celebs, too, have their own beliefs and obsessions. Katrina Kaif’s visit to Ajmer Sharif before the release of her film, Ranbir Kapoor’s obsession with the number 8 and Vidya Balan’s love for red are a few examples. Kavyal Sedani and Mahendra Hathi, experts on astral and numerical sciences, decode a few more superstitions that the stars follow.
Amitabh Bachchan
The actor went through a rough time when he faced financial crisis. Reportedly, Big B slipped on a sapphire ring and Kaun Banega Crorepati came calling. “Every stone has its natural quality and an unmistakable magnetic pull. Stones, due to their molecular structure and setting, have the power to focus on whatever quality they represent. The blue sapphire symbolises wisdom, virtue and good fortune,” says Mahendra Hathi.
Amitabh Bachchan
Aamir Khan
The actor had a dry spell before his movie Taare Zameen Par released. Since then, the actor has sworn by festive releases. Many believe that Aamir and his filmmaker wife, Kiran Rao, who was battling fertility issues, even timed the birth of their son Azad in the month of December.
“The subconscious mind is a powerful thing. If a few films, released during festive time did well, then the mind just feels more relaxed to follow a safe pattern. Also, it seems to be working for Aamir. Although most of his films are good, some average movies, like Dhoom 3, also brought in handsome profits when released during Christmas,” says Kavyal.
Aamir Khan with family
Aishwarya Rai
Rumour has it that Aishwarya Rai had to marry a tree, before tying the knot with Abhishek Bachchan as she is Manglik. “Some combination of stars predicts risk of broken relationships and to avoid that, the ritual of marrying another life form came about. A person with Mangal impact are mentally stronger than others, and hence this tradition,” says Kavyal.
Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan
Akshay Kumar
Akshay Kumar
Akki fears that his stay in India would affect his movie’s collections and prefers flying abroad before his film’s release. “It is possible that being out of the country during the release of a few films fetched good results, and hence his subconscious mind formed a positive association with it,” says Kavyal.
Shah Rukh Khan
Shah Rukh Khan
SRK doesn’t drive a car that doesn’t have ‘555’ on its number plate. He considers the number so lucky that the license plate on his bike in Chennai Express was stamped with the number. “5 is the number of the planet Mercury which represents travel and communication. Any number repeated thrice makes its power exceptional,” says Mahendra.
