Big Brother Goes Bollywood

Shilpa Shetty for PetaIndia.com

Bollywood bombshell Shilpa Shetty has made her UK television debut on Channel 4’s Celebrity Big Brother.

The actress, who is routinely called “Shipla” on the show, has already made some enemies, prompting the quick launch of the site KeepShilpaIn.Com—where fans can call/text in their support, and vote to keep her in the running.

Shetty faces elimination tonight, but some online betting sites say her odds of staying are actually quite good.

Check out round-the-clock feed of life in the BB house, and see the star talk about herself (“I honestly, truly feel I am special…I’m very synonymous with glamour”) in this promo-piece:

Read about Shilpa Shetty’s work for PETA India.

Bollywood, Eh?

Preity Zinta/Saif Ali Khan. Photo Credit: BBC

A team of Canadian businesspeople and politicians leave Ontario for Mumbai tomorrow. The trip, to last 17-days, hopes to convince Indian movie-makers to film in Canada.

“There is a dramatic shift taking place in the world economy and India is one of those exciting, growing economic powerhouses,” said Canadian Premier Dalton McGuinty in an interview yesterday.

The 100-person delegation has its sights set on Bollywood and will spend the next few days in Mumbai, meeting with production executives and directors. “We’ll be looking at cultural industries, film in particular,” McGuinty said. “We think we can do more in that regard.”

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (also interested in courting Indian business) is scheduled to travel to Mumbai later this year.

(Source: Canada.Com)

3rd I: A Film Fest for the West

I For India (thirdi.org)

Some of the screenings at 3rd I’s 4th Annual San Francisco International South Asian Film Festival have already sold out online. That’s why you’d better get moving if you’d like to see any of the films in the festival lineup posted below—old, new, classic and cutting-edge—being shown this weekend, November 10-12. 3rd I is a non-profit, national organization committed to promoting diverse images of South Asians in independent film.
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Bollywood Calling

Won’t you fly away to Bollywood with me?

Are you totally into Bollywood films? Do you love the action, melodrama, romance and music all jammed into one four-hour epic? Would you like to make your own masterpiece? Well, now you can! Air France is running a Fly to Bollywood Contest, and you can produce your very own short Bollywood film to enter. It’s simple—just add your own clever dialogue as subtitles for preselected pieces of film to create an instant classic. You could be the next … well, I don’t know the names of any Indian directors. But you’ll definitely be in the running for a free trip to India. Won’t Mom and Dad be proud? Please post the links to your creations in the comment section—we’d love to see what our Nirali readers come up with!

Good luck!

Thanks to Ranjit and Shilpa for the tip.