{"id":9415,"date":"2011-06-24T18:06:24","date_gmt":"2011-06-24T18:06:24","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2011-06-24T18:06:14","modified_gmt":"2011-06-24T18:06:14","slug":"Bollywood-sets-sights-on-wider-market","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/?p=9415","title":{"rendered":"Bollywood sets sights on wider market"},"content":{"rendered":"

As some of the biggest names in Indian cinema gather in Toronto this week, the Indian International Film Academy (IIFA)<\/strong> hopes its annual awards ceremony will help boost its presence in the North American market<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

So far the IIFA’s nomadic three-day festival and awards event, created to raise the global profile of Bollywood<\/strong>, as India’s Hindi language cinema is popularly known, has traveled from cities in Europe, including London and Amsterdam, to the UAE, Africa, and south and east Asia.<\/p>\n

Now, 12 years on, for the first time it is being held in the Americas.<\/p>\n

Some 200 Indian actors and film makers<\/strong>, along with 40,000 fans, are converging to witness a lavish spectacle of song, dance, and fashion, not too far removed from the average Bollywood film.<\/p>\n

Toronto<\/strong>, home to a prestigious international film festival of its own, is seen as a fitting launchpad for world cinema hoping to gain a foothold in the US market. Ultimately Bollywood producers have an eye on closer collaboration with Hollywood – a fact that is not lost on Canadian officials. <\/p>\n

“Is it worth pointing out that Slumdog [Millionaire] premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival? Then went on to sweep the board at the Oscars and put Bollywood on the map,” says Michael Chen, Canada’s Tourism Minister.<\/p>\n

Love this song “Kajra Re” meaning “Kohl-lined (eyes)” sung by Aishwarya Rai. The song is from the 2005 film Bunty Aur Babli, starring Abhishek Bachchan, Rani Mukerji and Amitabh Bachchan.<\/strong>
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