From Lalbaugcha Raja to family visarjan ceremonies, Ganesh Chaturthi once again brought Mumbai’s celebrities into the city’s most cherished celebration of faith, family and community.
Our Bureau
Mumbai
For ten days every year, Mumbai changes its rhythm. The city of films, cricket, business and television turns towards Lord Ganesha, as homes and public pandals become centres of prayer, music and celebration. And as millions of ordinary devotees line up for darshan, the city’s celebrities too become part of the same festive landscape.
At the heart of Mumbai’s Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations is Lalbaugcha Raja, where faith and popular culture meet in one of the city’s most recognisable public festivals. This year, the famous pandal once again attracted a steady stream of devotees, including actors, business leaders, sports personalities and public figures.
Among the visitors was US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor, who offered prayers at the Lalbaugcha Raja pandal. For an American diplomat witnessing the festival, the scale and energy of the celebration offered a glimpse into a deeply rooted aspect of Mumbai’s cultural life.
“It’s absolutely incredible. I’m honoured to be here,” Gor told ANI, describing the atmosphere as vibrant and difficult to explain to someone who had not experienced it personally.
The ambassador’s visit also highlighted the extraordinary reach of Ganesh Chaturthi beyond its religious significance. Lalbaugcha Raja is not simply a place where devotees come to pray. It has become a symbol of Mumbai itself — its crowds, its artistic traditions, its public celebrations and its ability to bring people from different walks of life into one space.
The tradition has deep roots. The Lalbaugcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal was established in 1934 at Putlabai Chawl. The idol has been maintained by the Kambli family for more than eight decades, creating a continuity that has made the celebration part of Mumbai’s cultural memory.
The presence of celebrities adds another layer to this public spectacle. Raymond Group Managing Director Gautam Singhania visited Lalbaugcha Raja and described the atmosphere simply as “fantastic”. Actors Manoj Joshi and Sayaji Shinde were also among those who offered prayers.
For Joshi, the occasion was less about celebrity visibility and more about the universal hopes associated with the festival. “May God keep all the states happy and prosperous, and may there be happiness and well-being in everyone’s life,” he said.
Shinde brought a more personal dimension to his visit. The actor sought Bappa’s blessings ahead of the release of his Marathi film Manjar, which is scheduled to release on September 18. His visit reflected a familiar tradition among artists — beginning an important professional journey by seeking divine blessings.
But Mumbai’s celebrity Ganpati celebrations are not confined to public pandals. For many stars, the festival is equally about bringing Lord Ganesha home and celebrating with family.
Actor Shilpa Shetty once again welcomed Ganpati into her home and participated in the visarjan celebrations with her family. After performing puja, she joined the procession and danced to the beats of the dhol. Dressed in a traditional Maharashtrian saree and jewellery, she represented another familiar image of Mumbai’s Ganeshotsav — the blending of tradition, family celebration and contemporary popular culture.
Her home also became a place for darshan, with former MP Navneet Rana visiting during the festivities.
For Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, the festival was similarly centred on family rather than spectacle. While extending Ganesh Chaturthi greetings to his fans, Khan described his own celebration as a simple family occasion.
“Wife does the Aarti and then the prayers and tonight will do the Visarjan. Kids and friends gather to hang around and laugh a lot. Very simple and family time,” he said.
The remark offered an intimate glimpse into how one of India’s biggest film stars approaches a festival that has become an important part of Mumbai’s social calendar.
Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar also joined the celebrations, sharing a video from the Ganpati visarjan and posting a familiar farewell: “Ganpati Bappa Morya, come early next year!”
That phrase captures something essential about Mumbai’s relationship with Ganpati. The festival arrives with enormous excitement, dominates the city for ten days and then disappears into the waters during visarjan. Yet the farewell is never entirely final. It carries an expectation of return.
The celebrities may command cameras, but during Ganeshotsav they become part of a much larger crowd. Actors, industrialists, sports stars and diplomats stand alongside ordinary devotees, united for a moment by the same chants and prayers.
That may be the enduring power of Mumbai’s Ganpati festival. In a city defined by fame, ambition and relentless movement, Ganesh Chaturthi creates a rare space where everyone — including its biggest stars — can simply be a devotee.