Parineeti Chopra and Raghav Chadha's Karwa Chauth at 35,000 Feet: The Viral Video, Explained

What happened

On Karwa Chauth, the tradition is simple: the wife fasts all day and breaks the fast only after seeing the moon, usually from a rooftop or balcony. Parineeti Chopra ended up doing it from a plane window, around 35,000 feet up.

She and her husband, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha, shared a joint Instagram video of the moment. In it, Parineeti looks at the moon through the window, folds her hands in prayer and then drinks water from Raghav's hand to complete the ritual, as reported by Amar Ujala and India TV.

Why on a plane?

It was not planned as a stunt. In her caption, Parineeti explained that their flight was delayed, so the moon came out while they were still in the air, and they decided to do the puja right there.

She also wrote a sweet line for Raghav, whom she calls "Ragai": in Amar Ujala's Hindi report, the caption says Karwa Chauth is wherever the two of them are together, "even if it is at 35,000 feet".

Why people are searching

Three things made this clip spread.

• It is unusual. Most people have never thought about what you do on Karwa Chauth if you are travelling at moonrise. The answer, it turns out, is: look out of the window.
• It is a celebrity couple that mixes Bollywood and politics, so it reaches both kinds of fans.
• The Priyanka connection. Fans quickly remembered a story Parineeti's cousin Priyanka Chopra told on "The Kapil Sharma Show". On a Karwa Chauth when Nick Jonas had a live show, clouds and rain hid the moon until late at night, so Nick booked a private plane and took her above the clouds, where she finally saw it and broke her fast. Several fans mentioned it in the comments (India TV).

Is it "allowed" to break the fast on a plane?

Different families follow different customs, and we are not giving religious rulings. The core of the ritual is seeing the moon, and from a plane above the clouds you often see it more clearly than from the ground. That is a big part of why people found the moment charming rather than odd.

What comes next

Celebrity Karwa Chauth posts usually trend for a day or two as more photos come out. You can watch the original video on Parineeti Chopra's Instagram account, linked below. We have not copied or re-hosted it, and the image on this page is an AI illustration, not a photo of the couple.