Bollywood stars a coup for festival

High-profile Indian actor Jimmy Shergill and pop singer Aiysha are two of the judges of tomorrow's Bollywood dance competition in a closed-off Queen St.

"This is the first time any Bollywood stars will be appearing at any Indian festival in New Zealand," says a gleeful Robert Khan, managing director of Indian station Radio Tarana (AM1386), the contest sponsor.

Joining the two stars on the judging panel are Bollywood talent-spotter Vikram Khakar and four of Aiysha's entourage: three of her choreographers and her dance instructor.

Shergill, 35, is adored by fans for his looks and his humility; Aiysha, Australia-born and bred and of Indo-Fijian descent, has carved out a solid place for herself in the Middle East and Asia with two hit albums and an upcoming film debut. In her late 20s, she now lives in Mumbai.

Group and solo contestants will have six minutes to impress the judges, who will award points for details such as costumes, confidence and stunts.

Bollywood was born in 1950s Bombay (Mumbai), when the city started making musicals of glorified love, with dashing, masculine heroes and gorgeous heroines, all of whom remained decently clothed.

Bollywood - yes, the name is a take on a certain film city in the United States - is now an international craze which features exuberantly colourful, over-the-top song-and-dance numbers blending dance styles of east and west.

"Bollywood is a worldwide phenomenon and it's way bigger than we can imagine," says Auckland City event organiser Barbara Strong-MacKinnon. "We go, Brad Pitt, wow, but Bollywood stars have a bigger following in terms of numbers."

Several of the genre's big hits have been filmed in New Zealand.

Tomorrow's competition starts in Queen St by Aotea Square at 11am, running to 5pm. The final starts at 7pm in the Aotea Centre, hosted by TV3 presenter John Campbell.