Cinema: Bollywood in 'The Promised Land'
Guess what unites Jews and Palestinians amidst bitter conflict? Amazingly, the late Indian movie star and legendary producer and director Raj Kapoor and his memorable repertoire of simply depicted melodic tales of love and hope.
In 'Old Jerusalem', the great Bollywood showman's iconic 1956 film Awaara transcends the very visible communal barriers to inspire identical delight amongst Jews, Muslims and all hues of Christians.
Amidst the old it evokes nostalgia of the many black and white screenings of The Wanderer (Awaara, with Hebrew subtitles). And young faces will still light up and happily join in a chorus of the movie's main musical number, "Ichak daana, beechak dana".
All Israeli children learn the enchanting Hindi song as part of a selection of world music prescribed in schools.
Literally cashing in on the huge sustaining appeal for anything that is Bollywood is the runaway success of 'Bharati', a 5 million dollar musical extravaganza that celebrates India's diversity — its languages, history, lifestyles and traditions — through an elaborately choreographed medley of Bollywood songs.
Put together by Anat Bernstein-Reich of A&G Partners, a company that helps Israelis do business with India, Bharati has, since 2005, completed 150 soldout shows in Israel and across Europe, including Germany, the UK and France. It ran to packed houses in Tel Aviv's National Opera Theatre 14 times.
The grand India show was collectively funded by the Sahara Group and a number of Israeli investors. It has been produced by Gashash Deshe, whose earlier successes include Fiddler on the Roof, Little Shop of Horrors and Joseph & the Amazing Technical Dream Coat.
Infusing just the right Bollywood flavour is writer Kamlesh Pandey's scripting and the choreography by Jojo Khan.
Bharati is now set to open in Warsaw, Brussels, Prague, Lyon and Vienna through November to January and February next year. Later in 2008, there are plans to take the 100-person troupe of singers, musicians and dancers with their 1,000 costumes across the Atlantic to North America.
Success in Israel was inevitable for the Bollywood extravaganza. Many people on the cobbled streets of Jerusalem or in Tel Aviv warm up to Indians.
There is the charming archaeologist, Tikwah, who absolutely loves Raj Kapoor and wants to know "what the words Ichak dana beechak dana actually means".
Inside the Walled City of Jerusalem, a young Palestinian shopkeeper in the Muslim Quarter insists on reciting dialogue from another Bollywood classic, "Amar, Akbar, Anthony".
In Tel Aviv's newest shopping mall, most young people tell you they have travelled in India, and those that haven't are most likely still in the process of completing their three years' of mandatory military service.
Over 40,000 Israeli youngsters use the year between their compulsory military service and the start of college to visit India, many of them backpacking across a familiar itinerary including Dharamsala, Manali, Pushkar and Goa.
Anat Bernstein-Reich, who is also deputy chairperson of the Israel-India Chamber of Commerce, says the lasting cultural interest in India has helped awaken Israeli interest in the huge potential for business and trade with a country that could potentially emerge as the biggest economy in the world.
"We (the chamber) have now begun looking sexy to investors," she said.
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