Bollywood Glitz in a Times Square Debut
By KAREEM FAHIM Published: January 14, 2007 Roopam Jain craned for a view of the celebrities on Friday night, jostling with dozens of other fans. He called his wife by cellphone, warning that she was about to miss the grand arrivals. Its incredible to find something like this in New York, Mr. Jain said. Mr. and Mrs. Jain, who live in Alpine, N.J., had tickets to a premiere that heralded not only the arrival of a movie, but also a growing cultural phenomenon. The red-carpet event was for a movie called Guru, and was rare American treatment for a feature from Bollywood, the Mumbai-based film industry. Two of Bollywoods biggest stars, Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai, finally did touch down in Times Square Friday night, as their film opened around the world. At the vast AMC Empire 25 theater on West 42nd Street, it got a high-profile American debut that many said was unusual for a movie without the apparent crossover credentials of a Bollywood film like Bride and Prejudice. Ms. Rai, who starred in that film as well, attended its American premiere at a theater in Union Square nearly two years ago. Things have changed for Indian cinema since then. Seven Hindi-language films each made more than $2 million last year at the United States box office. Only one of them, Water, had an American distributor. Long available on videotape, Indian films can be seen on an increasing number of movie screens across the United States, and, since November, on cable television video-on-demand in almost two dozen states. A press event before the screening was a relaxed affair, as film executives mingled with Indian journalists and ate finger food. Bobby Bedi, a producer, talked about the prospects for Indian cinema abroad. There is a huge interest in the world in India, things Indian and in Indian cinema, Mr. Bedi said. But the formula for a successful crossover film eludes filmmakers, he said. Films he described as more focused in scope, like Monsoon Wedding, have done well. Theyve not really been about the world; theyve been about villages or about small episodes in peoples lives, he said. He suggested a strategy for expatriate Indian moviegoers to help increase Bollywoods exposure: bring two non-Indians along to the movies. Mr. Bedi spoke from the dais with the films stars; the director, Mani Ratnam; and A. R. Rahman, who wrote the music for the film. There was a pleasant exuberance to some of the questions from the audience. I feel this movie is going to be a super hit, a man in a trench coat said to Mr. Bachchan, who wore a salmon-pink tie. What is your gut feeling? Another woman, addressing Mr. Rahman, the prolific film and theater composer, could hardly keep it all in. You revolutionized Bollywood with your music, she said. I mean it is so exceptional. A moderator warned journalists not to ask personal or follow-up questions. A very large security guard, Ivan Bozovic, looked after the striking Ms. Rai, who is regularly called one of the worlds most beautiful women. She talked about Guru, mostly (Every character is finely etched, she said), and about the talents of the director and her co-stars. A journalist went after rumors that Ms. Rai and Mr. Bachchan were engaged, asking whether there was any news. I have an announcement, Mr. Bachchan teased. The films going to start in 10 minutes! Inside the theater, local business leaders gave flowers to the stars and the filmmakers. Ms. Rai, wearing a shimmering blue sari, took a few moments to greet young fans. Guru is the story of Gurukant Desai, a villager who becomes a polyester mogul. Yesterday morning, Mr. Jain, whose wife, Sapna, did make the show, said Mr. Bachchan showed excellent range, even if the film was a bit disjointed. As an Indian, I was very proud to have them all here, Mr. Jain said, adding that he identified with some of the themes in the film. A lot of Indians have struggled. My father came here in the early 70s. He came from nothing to become very successful. Its kind of nice to see the Indian community doing so well. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/14/nyregion/14bollywood.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion&oref=slogin Thanks to Vinod for the tip
