In an unpredictable world of movies, superstition has often found room. Right from pujas and its location, changing names to wearing gemstones, the film fraternity has been actively pursuing stones that suit them and bring luck.
These days, it is common to see Bollywood stars regularly flaunting a particular gemstone, confirming the perception that the stone is worn not just for a style statement, but for some belief.
Today, we see stars like Amitabh Bachchan wearing a blue sapphire, Kareena Kapoor flaunting a yellow sapphire or sometimes coral, Aishwarya Rai wearing a white big stone and Ekta Kapoor sporting every possible rock on her fingers.
Bappi Lahiri wears more jewellery for luck while actress Shilpa Shetty attributes her success to her emerald ring, which she wore on her mother's advice.
Bipasha Basu, Kajol, Arjun Rampal, and Emraan Hashmi are also firm believers of gemstones. Even Hrithik Roshan and Shahrukh Khan have got into these lucky stones.
Now, Sandalwood stars are also resorting to the planetary gem therapy to improve their profession as well as personal life.
From senior actor Dwarakish, who is seen wearing a ring on every finger (coral, emerald, diamonds and yellow sapphire) to young actor like Prajwal Devaraj, who wears a lucky birth stone to bring luck, the industry is fast catching up with these lucky stones.
Kannada actress Ragini Dwivedi also wears a ring which has a precious emerald stone while coral and yellow sapphire are considered to be lucky stones for actress Shubha Poonja.
For actress Sanjjanaa, it is not only her change in name that brought her luck but the ruby ring, which was gifted by her mother. She says, “When I wanted to establish myself, my mother consulted a few astrologers to put things in place. She also made sure that I wore the ruby ring, which did help me to a certain extent. But this particular ring is quite emotional because it is from my mother.”
Filmmaker K Manju wears a big stone (yellow sapphire) but according to him, he does not rely on it to bring in good luck. “Only good work pays. Films are like gambling, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. If by wearing a stone, every film would have been a hit, then it would have been part of everybody’s life,” he says.
Actress Shubha Poonja wears an expensive yellow sapphire ring and a bracelet made with coral stone.
“My yellow sapphire is quite an expensive gift to me by my uncle. I have been wearing the coral bracelet from the time I wanted to get into acting. I wore it because I was told by the astrologer that it was my lucky stone. After 20 days, I bagged my first film,” she said.
Some like to sport gemstones while others believe in their lucky kada (single bangle) or the black / red thread.
Salman Khan wears a bracelet in almost every film, as it brings him a box office hit. Late Vishnuvardhan was also seen wearing a kada, while the present lot like actors Darshan, Ganesh and Murali are seen sporting a kada in almost every film.
Ganesh also wears a neela (blue sapphire) from the time he learnt that it was his lucky stone. Actor Murali who is facing ups and downs in his career, wears a kada and a ring with a red stone.
“I started wearing the kada from past 15 years. I was very particular to wear it in my film, Chandra Chakori which in fact did well. From then on I have never removed it,” he says.
In most cases, the stones are gifted by parents who consult astrologers to know if their son or daughter are going to do well or not.
“My mother had asked me to wear a ring with a precious stone as she had consulted an astrologer who told her that the stone would be bring me luck. I wore it only because it was given by my mother,” says Murali.
Even actor Yash says, “My mother knows what is good or bad for me. She wants to see me doing well and so she asked me to wear a ring, which is proving to be lucky for me.”
For actor Jaggesh, the rings are very auspicious. “Apart from acting, I have learnt vastu shastra and astrology. I know for sure that our lives depend on planetary action. Being a film star, Shukra and Rahu play a vital role. For any actor these two planets should be positive,” says Jaggesh, adding, “If Guru is strong in once planet, it wards away all evils. People who want to get strong with guru usually wear yellow sapphire.”
According to Jaggesh, not many reveal the amount spent for these stones. He says, “It is not about the cost, it is more about positive vibrations. I am wearing a diamond and neela (blue stone) as it is a lucky stone for me.”