Filmi journo and author Anupama Chopra is on a rapid-fire tour of the US to promote her newly released book King Of Bollywood: Shah Rukh Khan and the Seductive World of Indian Cinema.
In spite of the NYC metro system being slowed to a halt by rain storms Wednesday morning, 500 people showed up that evening at Socrates Sculpture Park in Astoria for an al fresco screening of Kal Ho Naa Ho, introduced by Anu.
Last night the IAAC and SAJA co-hosted a reception and book-signing that was well attended to the point of being SRO. Cheering her on from the front rows were a variety of family members, including NYC’s own spin mistress DJ Rekha, and supportive husband and the man who made me fall in love with Simla, filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra. I also spotted bhangra workout woman Sarina Jain, NDTV’s Sarah Jacob filing a story for the folks back home, Ken Naz of Eros Entertainment, former MTV Desi VJ Niharika, and many others.
Tonight Mme. Chopra is at the Museum of the Moving Image for a 6:30pm book signing and reception, and she will then introduce Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Devdas at 7:30.
Next stop, the West coast for India Splendor. On Sunday, August 12th, she’ll be interviewed in a Q & A to mark the book’s release, followed by a screening of an interview she did a few weeks back with the man himself, SRK.
Hey SB, I didn’t really take many; was too busy chatting with friends and whatnot.
But Mr. Vij over at Ultrabrown has several good ones….
Darshana, interesting that the film drew such a non-Indian crowd.
Then again, recently a Peruvian friend rang up from out of the blue, someone I’d lost touch with for quite a while, and he mentioned having seen several Hindi movies. You coulda’ knocked me over with a feather.
The Kal Ho Naa Ho showing at Socrates Park was an interesting event. Anu’s intro was perfect for an audience which was 99% non-Indian and new to BW – this summer movie festival has a crowd of regulars.
I was really pleased to be part of this crowd that was clearly engaged with the movie – nobody left, people laughed at the right places, etc. It’s absolutely the biggest number of non-South-Asians — about 100 times bigger — I’ve ever seen at a BW movie.
And with its New York setting and spectacular production numbers, it was a good choice, I think, for providing entertainment and some surprises.
aww, filmi – no pics of anu and vvc? i was so sure you’d post pics of the event! 🙂