Bollywood Coffee table book, what’s not to buy?

Sure, it’s no coffee table with legs, but amid the mish mash of eco-friendly wares, potions  and beaded jewelry, this retro Bollywood poster book stood out during my adventures in shelf shopping at a downtown Venice Beach store this past weekend.

The collection, aptly titled Bollywood Posters features kitschy scenes  from the classic (Teesri Manzil) to the commercial ( Om Shanti Om).

Cannes Cool

With each passing year, Bollywood’s presence at the Cannes film festival growns stronger.

After Aishwarya Rai and Nandita Das, veteran screen siren Sharmila Tagore will be a member of the jury deciding who will be the recipient of the prestigious 2009 palm d’or.

Former Armani model, Om Shanti Om actor and my personal favorite, Arjun Rampal will be gracing the red carpet. Rampal recently shot a beverage ad with Aussie Nicole Kidman and will there to present the full commercial.

Kareena Kapoor and Akshay Kumar will be appearing alongside Hollywood action star  Sylvester Stallone for Sajid Nadiawala’s Kambhakkht Ishq. The film will be releasing this June.

Barack has (bollywood) dreams..

To say that I am an Obama nut is an understatement. In between biting my nails at the latest polls on realclearpolitics.com, oohing and ahhing over Sasha, Malia and Michelle ( great job on the slideshows Huffpo!), and checking out the competition on Fox News (reporting not really rooted in reality, but they sure are feisty), I’ve become one nervous Obama Girl.

I’ve been on You Tube trying to find some lighthearted Obama-centric content preferably which does not include any of the words or phrases: vote, battleground, the polls, pallin around with terrorists, smear campaign, redistribution, socialist, and well you get the point. Well, ahah! I knew I could find the silliest of the silliest with anything bollywood related. For your viewing pleasure Barack OBollywood:

It was indeed a silly distraction, but it definitely got me thinking about how Barackand bollywood have a lot more in common than one would think. Hey, Snoop Dogg, Mike Tyson all had bollywood dreams, why not Barack?

How Barack has ( and could) gone Bollywood:

1) Suspend your disbelief:

Bollywood: Being a bollywood fan is ALL about suspending your disbelief. How could you explain Kajol frolicking around in the Swiss snow with nothing but a red cocktail dress on in DDLJ ( my favorite suspend your disbelief moment, but feel free to supply more “hai?”moments) or the entire plot of Om Shanti Om? Neither can I, but they both went on to smash box office records in India and internationally.

Barack: $150 million in September ’08, a record breaking $650 million till date  and if that isn’t impressive enough, an estimated 100, 000 people showed up to his rally in St. Louis, MO last month. And since bollywood is all about defying weather, his audition reel could showcase his passionate rain soacked speech.

2) Superstition and some Idol worship:

Bollywood: Idol worship and superstition are very much of Hindu culture and bollywood.  Films seeking blessings from Lord Ganesha in the opening scene of each movie, India’s pet name for Shahrukh as the “Badshah” or “King Khan” and Amitabh Bachan’s latest role as God in the Bruce Almighty inspired flick God Tussi Great Ho are good examples.

Barack: At last month’s Alfred E. Smith memorial dinner, John McCain joked how about he was fine with reporter Chris Matthew’s label of him as a “maverick” but “messiah” ( referring to Senator Obama) was above his pay grade. Jokes aside, many of Obama’s supporters do see him as someone who has come to save the world. Their adoring looks, tears in their eyes, wide smiles, it reminds me very much of myself at a Bollywood stage show.  The Obama camp also has a penchant for being superstitious, with Barack known to carry around a monkey king ( presumably Hanuman) in his pocket.

3) Song and Dance:

Bollywood: Can you imagine Tezaab without Ek, Do, Theen or any Hrithik Roshan movie without one of his body bending dance numbers? Neither can I and nor should have to. Hindi movies are all about song and dance and fun. I’m getting weirded out just talking about it.

Barack: When he isn’t biting back at his detractors by brushing some “dirt off his shoulders” [see below] he’s having a mini dance off with John McCain.  The man even let loose with Ellen!