Dahi Handi festivities are witnessing a resurgence of celebrity appearances, with the chant "Bol Bajrang Bali Ki Jai" echoing through the celebrations. Post-pandemic, the trend of high-profile endorsements had diminished as many mandals chose to reallocate funds to other activities. However, the festival is now seeing a gradual return of celebrities, although their presence is limited to a select few dahi handis, marking a shift back to the tradition’s roots.
Some mandals continue to spend significant sums to ensure celebrity appearances at Dahi Handi celebrations, with actors' fees inflating as a result. Leading Hindi actors can demand over Rs 20 lakh for a brief appearance, Marathi actors around Rs 7 lakh, and actresses up to Rs 5 lakh. Actors from Marathi and Hindi serials typically receive more than Rs 1 lakh. Negotiations often involve balancing these demands to set final fees, with mandals sometimes offering higher amounts to outbid rivals. Consequently, some mandals withhold artist names until Shri Krishna Janmashtami.
The Ideal Book Depot in Dadar will host a grand Dahi Handi event with notable guests including Mr. Asia Rohan Kadam, Mr. India Suhas Khamkar, and actor Bhushan Ghadi. The celebration will feature a dramatic presentation depicting historical scenes of women's struggles and the Shiva-era mawlas. Visually impaired Govindas will also participate in breaking the handi.
At the Dahi Handi festival, Hindi actors Vicky Kaushal and Karisma Kapoor, along with Bhagyashree Patwardhan, will grace the event at Devipada Ground in Borivali East. Bhau Kadam, Prabhakar More, Prithvik Pratap, Vanita Kharat, Prasad Khandekar, Megha Ghadge, Gauri Jadhav, and Hemlata Bane will be present at the festival hosted by MLA Mangesh Kudalkar in Kurla Nehru Nagar.
The team from 'Dharmaveer 2,' including Pravin Tarde, will head to Pune. Sanskruti Balgude will be in Khopoli, while Spruha Joshi and Shivani Surve will support Govindas in Pune. Sai Tamhankar will visit mandals in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai.
Prasad Oak, Mangesh Desai, and Kshitij Date will attend the Dahi Handi events at Anand Dighe Tembhi Naka in Thane, Ravindra Phatak’s Sankalp Pratishthan, Sada Sarvankar’s Prabhadevi, and Prakash Surve’s Borivali celebration.