Bollywood’s Bangkok Gala Drama

This Friday to Sunday Bangkok will be the center of India. Everybody who has a name in India, from politicians to businessmen, from fashion icons to stars, will be in the Thai capital for the International Indian Film Academy awards IIFA, Bollywood’s equivalent of the Oscars.

Whoever has some basic knowledge about Indians’ enthusiasm for their movies and stars knows: Bangkok’s gonna be India’s show of the year. But why in Bangkok and not Bollywood aka Mumbai?! To promote Indian films abroad. IIFA has earlier been to London, Amsterdam, Dubai and Yorkshire. The world’s ignoring of Indian movies shall finally end.

Movies are a religion in India. People know soundtracks by heart, movie stars are equal to gods. No surprise then that Bollywood produces more movies a year than Hollywood and that Bollywood sells more tickets a year than Hollywood. Movies and their stars are an obsession in India – an obsession that will be lived out to the fullest this weekend in Bangkok.

Bangkok anyway is India’s hottest Tinseltown these days. Bollywood’s stars shoot and shop and marry in Bangkok. Not a week passes with another Indian movie being shot in Bangkok – recently at the Amari Atrium with stuntmen and Indian James Bonds roping down the exterior from the roof.

And then the singing and dancing and would-be kissing and twisted sexual gesticulation. You must be Indian to appreciate the art of Bollywood – but then again: India modernizes, and so do India’s movies.

“Bangkok is Bollywood, Bollywood is Bangkok,” Wise Kwai Film Journal summarizes.

The IIFA weekend will bring the crème de la crème of Indian celebrity to Bangkok. We heard of rather unpleasant attempts among Indians to getting hold of tickets, each one costing hundreds of dollars for one event – a good year’s income in India.

The IIFA will bring India’s equivalents of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt to town with the Subcontinent’s own breed of do-gooders and celluloid villains. Bangkok will welcome – never heard of them? – legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan, his son Abhishek Bachchan and daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai, the world’s most beautiful pair of pale-green-grey eyes.

Eyes, by the way, she wants to donate after her death: “People know me more because of my eyes,” she once said. “So, I decided to donate my eyes. But … within what time after death one has to donate eyes … I like to do social service from my heart. Whatever is possible I do, but I don’t speak of that.”

The IIFA weekend will see the world premiere of the Indian blockbuster Sarkar Raj starring mentioned father, son and daughter-in-law. Sarkar Raj’s sequel of Sarkar, an Indian remake of Coppola’s The Godfather:




The three-day IIFA weekend will furthermore feature a fashion show at Siam Paragon and a Global Business Forum. We heard Indian fashion designers such as Rohit Bal and Sabyasachi and the new generation of world famous Indian designers and fashionistas will be there. But don’t even bother pilgering to Paragon. It’s strictly invitation only.

Climax are the awards Sunday evening. Expect some glitziness and exclusivity spectacle with the elite of Bollywood. Heard that Star TV will be there live for the roughly one sixth of humanity.

More @ Bollywood Thai




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June 2, 2008 | Filed Under Books & Movies, Culture & Arts, Fashion & Style, Travel & Tourism 

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