  We present a comparative analysis of theoretical and observed light curves of
Cepheid variables using Fourier decomposition. The theoretical light curves at
multiple wavelengths are generated using stellar pulsation models for chemical
compositions representative of Cepheids in the Galaxy and Magellanic Clouds.
The observed light curves at optical ({\it VI}), near-infrared ({\it JHK}$_s$)
and mid-infrared (3.6 $\&$ 4.5-$\mu$m) bands are compiled from the literature.
We discuss the variation of light curve parameters as a function of period,
wavelength and metallicity. Theoretical and observed Fourier amplitude
parameters decrease with increase in wavelength while the phase parameters
increase with wavelength. We find that theoretical amplitude parameters
obtained using canonical mass-luminosity levels exhibit a greater offset with
respect to observations when compared to non-canonical relations. We also
discuss the impact of variation in convective efficiency on the light curve
structure of Cepheid variables. The increase in mixing length parameter results
in a zero-point offset in bolometric mean magnitudes and reduces the systematic
large difference in theoretical amplitudes with respect to observations.
