We want real Bollywood!

Channel 4 is launching a Bollywood star show, but, surprisingly, sans a single Bollywood star in it, writes Nabanita Sircar in Basere se Dur.

Its not quite the Indian summer as yet, but Indians are definitely the hot subject of discussion here. First, it was the Manmohan Singh government. Interestingly, at most social gatherings the banter has been about how long the new government will last, with most people giving it two years maximum. But, what I find shocking is how soon some people, vocal BJP supporters until the election, have suddenly changed tact.

Just some months ago, when Narendra Modi was in town, Indians, mainly Gujaratis from East Africa and Kenya, were giving him a standing ovation and predicting how he is the future PM of India. In that atmosphere, if one mentioned the Gujarat riots, you got a terrible glare.

These very same people are now singing praises of the new government and trying ways of getting into the good books of the present establishment, and sighing deeply of how they knew this would happen, and that Gujarat was a disaster. Oops! Wonder where these voices were when the carnage happened!

Now of course the hottest gossip is the upcoming Mittal wedding in Paris. Apart from those invited for the wedding, specially women, getting their cupboards in order to show-off all their jewellery and designer outfits at the week-long celebration, it's the scribes who are not getting enough of snooping around.

All hearsay, but articles are being written, and in mainstream papers too. But at one recent event, I suddenly noticed a scribe going up to NRIs trying to find out if they were going to be attending the wedding.

Everyone appears to be doing the rounds in gossip circles about this "so not missable" event. Actually, some who have not yet received an invitation are terribly upset! Typical! More than a wedding, its a society event, that many social climbers would give an arm and a leg to be seen at.

Even scribes are hoping they will be invited. Although LN Mittal is keeping the celebrations of his daughter Vanisha's wedding a well-guarded secret, he can be sure the papparazi will show up in Paris.

Indian weddings have definitely caught the attention of the British media. After all, The Sunday Times carried a huge spread on the ostentatious wedding celebrations of the sons of Sahara boss Subroto Roy. But how many Britons know about him? That does not matter.

The glamorous world of Bollywood has given India an image of glamour and glitz. It shows in the hype built up by Channel 4, for its Bollywood Star show that goes on air tonight. This reality TV show will give Bollywood a new star.

The show goes to simply exemplify how people are going Bollywood-crazy out here. There may be one Katrina Kaif, who has made it to the Indian tinsel town, but scores are anxiously waiting to jump on to the bandwagon. Even English girls are eager to be a part of the Hindi filmworld and some of these contestants have even been coached in the language.

But, the show starts, amidst a sad news that a young girl Nadia Khan, working for director Kaizad Gustad, died in Mumbai. And evidence seems to reveals that Gustad had been lying about how her death all this while. That's not portraying a very good image of Bollywood. After his Boom fiasco, what can Gustad now hope for?

Anyhow, there is one point about the Channel 4 that I do not find very palatable. The panel of judges includes musician Bally Sagoo, Radio 1 DJ Bobby Friction, choreographer Honey Kalaria and Sophiya Haque. But aren't we talking of Bollywood, I mean authentic Indian films, and not simply cross-over British Asian films?

The organisers could have definitely been able to lure some experienced Hindi film experts, be they directors or actors or choreopgraphers, to be part of the judging panel. We could sure do with some seriously authentic stuff. Basere se dur, we love Bollywood, but an Indian one!