Bollywood film festival opens in Poland

Warsaw, March 24 (IANS) Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan is already a household name in Poland. Now fans eagerly await another star Aamir Khan's directorial debut "Taare Zameen Par" during a seven-day festival of Hindi films that opened here Monday and will travel to 12 Polish towns.

The festival, Experience the Real Taste of India, is being organised by the Indo-Polish Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IPCCI) along with Epelpol Entertainment.

The festival opened Monday with Deepa Mehta's "Water".

At least seven new Bollywood films will be shown in 12 towns during the next seven days. Apart from big towns like Warsaw, Poznan, Wroclaw and Gdansk, the films will be shown in some smaller towns like Koszlin, Lodz, Szezecin and Bydogosz.

"Let the mountain come to Mohammed is the main purpose. Normally people from the smaller cities are left out for the release of important Bollywood movies. This time we saw to it that we should encourage more and more people to watch our successful movies in the length and breadth of the Polish nation," J.J. Singh, president of IPCCI, told IANS.

"Poland has become an important destination for Bollywood in eastern Europe. What the Soviet Union was for Raj Kapoor in the 1950s and 1960s, Poland is now for Shah Rukh Khan in the first decade of the 21st century. No wonder, the organisers have included Shah Rukh's latest successful movie, 'Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi'," said Janusz Krzyzowski, president of the India-Polish Cultural Committee.

Shah Rukh Khan has become a household name in Poland. For the past four years his movies, such as "Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham", "Kal Ho Na Ho", "Kabhi Alwida Na Kahna", "Main Hoon Na", "Dil Se" and many others, have been shown in Poland.

This time Aamir Khan's "Taare Zameen Par" will be featured.

"The chances are that Aamir will leave a great impression on us. After all he commands a great respect everywhere. And why not in Poland!" said Anna Bem, an Indophile who has lived in India for many years.

Tarun Mansukhani's "Dostana", John Jeffcoat's "Outsourced", Atul Agnihori's "Hello", and Vijay Krishna Acharya's "Tashan" will also be screened during the festival.

"The set of films will present the true and various colours of a contemporary India to a Polish audience. We await the verdict of Polish audience," said Srikumar Menon, head of the commercial wing at the Indian embassy here.

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