Bollywood fun on Long Island!
Bravo for Bollywood!
Take Bombay - the old name for India's capital (now Mumbai) and the current center of the Hindi-
language film industry - and mix it with Hollywood - ground zero for moviemaking and stardom in the United States - and you get an exciting mix of song, dance, drama, glamour and all-out fun that brought the world the likes of that Oscar-winning juggernaut " Slumdog Millionaire."
You don't have to go all the way to India to experience the bounty of Bollywood. You can find it here on Long Island, from storefronts along the Route 106 corridor in Hicksville, to glittery stage shows and neighborhood movie theaters, to music CDs and dance classes.
AT THE MOVIES
You can see a pair of Bollywood flicks this week at Farmingdale Multiplex Cinemas . " New York" is an action-adventure film that stars top Bollywood celebrities John Abraham, Katrina Kaif and Neil Nitin Mukesh. It follows three young friends whose lives are forever altered after the Sept. 11 terror attacks. The other, "Kambakkht Ishq" ("Incredible Love"), follows the volatile and hilarious relationship between a celebrated stuntman and a gorgeous supermodel. It stars two of the biggest Bollywood actors - Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor - and includes appearances by Hollywood actors Sylvester Stallone, Denise Richards and Brandon Routh.
Other Long Island movie theaters that screen Bollywood films include Broadway Multiplex Cinemas in Hicksville and sometimes Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington .
LOOK AND LISTEN
Lamhe the Music Shop
341 S. Broadway, Hicksville, 516-935-1530
Packed shelves inside this small storefront are filled from floor to ceiling with a vast selection of movies on DVD - about 2,500 titles, according to the manager - starring some of the biggest Bollywood stars. Lamhe also carries classical Indian films and other genres dating from the 1940s to the present. Its music CD collection includes classical Indian music, soulful love songs, Indian-style hip-hop and Bollywood movie soundtracks. DVDs run from $4 to $20, and CDs, from $5 to $8.
MOVE YOUR BODY
Bollywood Performing Arts
252 W. Old Country Rd., Hicksville, 516-933-2787, bollyarts.com
What began in 2006 as a dance, music and yoga school has expanded to include an event-management and entertainment company and recording studio. Students ages 3 and older can sign up for classes in several Indian dance styles, including classical, Bollywood and Bhangra. The school also offers Ashtang and Hatha yoga, group classes in Indian vocals and a mix of group lessons ($25) and private instruction ($70 an hour) in the sitar, tabla and other Indian instruments. Plans include adding a theater workshop for children and adults this fall (with free promotional classes in July and August for anyone interested in a firsthand look). About eight months ago, director Sunita Sadhnani added "Bollywood Fitness," a one-hour adult class ($15, 10-11 a.m. Wednesdays and Fridays) that combines Bollywood-style music and dance for an intense cardio workout.
"It's a lot of fun because you're dancing," she adds. "We make the room dark, like a club setting," including twirling, colored strobe lights.
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