Montgomery County Councilmember Roger Berliner, the brain behind the upcoming festival, on how he became a Bollywood fan and why he came up with the festival idea.
By Roger Berliner
It was a few years ago when I had the distinct pleasure of viewing the classic Bollywood film Lagaan, India’s official submission to the Oscars in 2002 and eventual nominee for Best Foreign Language Film.
As I sat through its nearly 4-hour running time, I was transported to a cinematic experience that I had never witnessed before. Despite its mammoth length, I never once felt it. Instead I was captivated by its structure and epic scale — a film that was rich with not only stunning visuals, but also melodious music and dance, power-packed performances and the universal story of the underdog taking on the powers that be against all odds. The unique way in which all of these elements came together intrigued me, and from that day forward, I became a fan of Bollywood films.
It is a known fact that Montgomery County is one of the most diverse counties in the nation, with over 170 different cultures and 140 different languages. In fact, over 50% of our county is representative of diverse communities from around the world. Of these many communities, one of the most prominent communities in our county is the Indian American community, numbering at roughly 40,000 residents. Through my interactions with the community I learned that aside from a love of the sport of cricket (a theme around which Lagaan was based), the community holds a strong passion for Bollywood films.
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Bollywood films hold a special place in the hearts of Indians, and other South Asian communities, all over the world. India produces over 1,000 films a year where Bollywood films, produced in Mumbai in the Hindi language, are one of the most prolific and have had a wide global impact. For Indian Americans, these films hold personal meaning for several reasons. First, for Indians who have migrated to the United States, these films are a direct link to their roots in India and, through these films, viewers can remain in touch with specific elements with which they grew up.
Second, these films are used as a means for Indian parents to connect their children born in the US back to India, and expose them to what life, music, culture and traditions are like back in their country of origin. Additionally, Bollywood is also an important part of the Indian American culture, where many of our Indian American residents participate in popular dance and singing competitions around the country featuring music from Bollywood films.
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Last year, I convened a meeting and held conversations with leaders from the Maryland-India Business Roundtable (Mr. Elisha Pulivarti) and the American Film Institute (AFI) Silver Theatre and Cultural Center and pitched to them an idea that I had to showcase Bollywood films in Montgomery County. Both the MIBRT and AFI Silver shared my interest in providing our county with an opportunity to experience Indian cinema and culture through a Bollywood film festival, and the idea was put into motion late last year with a screening at the AFI Silver of the Bollywood blockbuster 3 Idiots and documentary Big in Bollywood.
The screenings were met with a great response and, in particular, it was heartening to see not only members of the Indian American and broader South Asian community in attendance, but also other communities who were interested in seeing these films. Encouraged by the response and as a result, under the leadership of the AFI Silver, the County will now be experiencing a “Best of Bollywood” film series both this weekend and next weekend at the AFI Silver in downtown Silver Spring, from April 7-15, featuring 8 recent Bollywood films reflecting a variety of genres — from romantic comedies and thrillers to dramas and satires.
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The 8 films that will be shown (Bareilly ki Barfi, Newton, Secret Superstar, Ittefaq, Toilet, Pad Man, Mukkabaaz and Shubh Mangal Savdhaan) are a reflection of the latest popular trends, tastes, stars and interests of Bollywood loving audiences and I look forward to watching these films and hearing from the community about their experience viewing the charm of Bollywood. I hope that this film series will be the start of an annual celebration recognizing the contributions of Bollywood films all around the world and will serve to bring our communities closer together through the visual arts.
I applaud the leadership of the MIBRT and the AFI Silver in helping with this endeavor. The AFI Silver is one of the most important arts institutions in our county and has always played a leading role in promoting films from around the world. They have been an exceptional and passionate partner in getting this unique film festival off the ground and I am proud that they are hosting it.
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In the future, I look forward to seeing this work not only meet the passion the Indian American community holds for viewing these movies and expose new audiences to Bollywood, but also continue to expand Montgomery County’s reputation as one of the most dynamic places for the arts in the region and nation.
RELATED: The screening schedule