The Indian version of the Oscars, the IIFA Awards, will be hosted in Tampa in April, 2014. I am a self-proclaimed Hindi movie junkie and enjoy Indian cinema that has predictable story-lines, music and dancing that are interjected in the midst of tragedy or comedy, and pretty girls running around trees and prancing in the proverbial water fall.
Bollywood — a tongue in cheek takeoff on Hollywood — is a multi-billion dollar industry, that makes more movies than its American counterpart. Over 400 feature films a year, an occasional Oscar contender, and an enterprise that now spans TV, cable, music and media. People in India love their movies, idolize the stars, and cherish the escape from life’s challenges that these movies provide.
The expected economic impact of these awards in Tampa is expected to be significant, and organizers expect 33,000 star struck fans to attend. I am not sure this city will ever be the same again, but nothing about Hindi Cinema is ordinary.
I’m ready to stand in line for those tickets and revel in the beauty of mindless entertainment.
About Hemant Rustogi