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Sudha Menon

PUNE, April 26

RETAIL major Selfridges' CEO, Mr Vittorio Radice, is probably seeing Aishwarya Rai and Kajol in his dreams these days, and no, this has nothing to do with glossy manes and amber-eyes.

Come the first week of May and the store, probably one of the most high-profile names in the UK's retail scene, is kicking off a festival of India which will focus the spotlight on the hottest thing to hit Britain recently - Bollywood mania.

The month-long event will give a high wattage dose of Bollywood Live. Look at what's on offer, according to Bollywood sources. The event is to be tentatively inaugurated by the Badshah of Bollywood, Amitabh Bachchan. The only element of uncertainty is that the Big B is right now very concerned about his father's failing health. Industry sources told Business Line the retail major has pulled out all stops to make this event the ultimate show-stopper.

Shoppers looking for the season's hottest designer threads will thus be treated to something quintessentially Bollywood every week, including its music, dance, celebrities and, of course, couture. And, among the treats being planned at Selfrdiges is Shahrukh Khan doing his catchy "chaiyya chaiyya" number on a set created inside the store; Aishwarya Rai tentatively to talk about her cuisine favourites and a promo of Indian fashion to be showcased by Bollywood's favourite designer Manish Malhotra and others like Tarun Tahiliani and Rohit Bal.

Also on the menu for India Live at Selfridges is a Lagaan week, a Kabhie Khusi Kabhie Gham week and a showcasing of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's forthcoming entertainer Devdas with Shahrukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit and Aishwarya Rai.

The store is also catering to the huge curiosity about Bollywood and its stars by recreating elaborate scenes from movies and showcasing the lives of various stars. Art Director Nitin Desai is believed to have recreated a model of yesteryear's glamour girl Dimple Kapadia's home, among other things for the event. The store has also roped in hospitality major, the Taj group, which is putting up food festivals in restaurants within the store showcasing India's varied cuisine. The group is believed to be flying in more than a dozen of its top-notch chefs into London and Manchester where the store will simultaneously have the Bollywood festival, to dish out delicacies for the English.

Selfridges has in the past held Tokyo Live, a successful showcasing of everything Japanese and is believed to have been inspired by the response that the event elicited amongst diehard shoppers. The event is being planned as a value-addition for shoppers thronging its stores in Manchester and London in the peak May season. Sources said the store expects at least a million people to walk into the store during this season and said the curiosity about the event is also likely to pull in first-time shoppers into the stores in droves.

Glut of Indian cinema

The legendary British stiff upper lip is likely to be put under test over the next few weeks with Bollywood-type glamour and India mania likely to engulf Britain over the next few weeks. Beginning this week a 150 cinema halls across Britain will show Indian movies through the year as part of the British Film Institute's ImagineAsia project showcasing South Asia's cultural diversity. And if the Britishers have developed a liking for Indian cinema, they can have their fill of other Bollywood events too.

Film-maker Yash Chopra is being felicitated and a book on his movie by a researcher, Ms Rachel Dwyer, is being simultaneously launched, says British Tourist Authority's Country Manager, Mr Prem Subramaniam. Mr Chopra will deliver a lecture at the event on the making of one of his earliest movies, Kabhie Kabhie. Amitabh Bachchan, who has played the romantic hero for Chopra's movies many a time, is expected to pay tribute to him at the event.

The British Deputy High Commission in India is, meanwhile, organising a visit in mid-May by more than half-a-dozen of Bollywood's best-known producers to the country for an interaction with the fraternity there. Among other things to be discussed at the meeting are the likelihood of joint venture films, partnerships in distribution rights and the possibility of using British locations and its post-production facilities. Among the people expected to be in the delegation are Subhash Ghai, Yash Johar, Karan Johar, Amit Khanna and Tarachand Bharjatiya.

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