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Anita journeys to Mumbai – the home of Bollywood - where the stars tower over the city on enormous murals. She discovers just how important the movies are and meets some of Bollywood's biggest stars.

The film industry employs more than a quarter of a million people in India and Anita begins her journey in Mumbai – the home of Bollywood - where the stars tower over the city on enormous murals. She discovers just how important the movies are to everyday people at one of the oldest cinemas in Mumbai where she quickly finds herself in the middle of a screaming mob as the stars of that night's film make a surprise appearance.

She's invited onto the set of a film shooting in downtown Mumbai where she meets one of Bollywood’s biggest stars, Anil Kapoor, who explains the enduring appeal of these films and gives her a rare glimpse into how the famous dance numbers are shot with almost no rehearsals in advance. Inspired to give it a go herself, Anita joins a leading choreographer who explains the ancient traditions at the heart of modern Bollywood dance numbers before they all head to the roof of a high-rise so Anita can star in a Bollywood "Item Number" herself.

Anita then travels to the countryside of Lucknow where a large action film is being shot to meet action hero Ajay Devgan who shows her the secrets they use to create the impressive fight scenes. Then she's invited into the junk-strewn recording studio of Bollywood's leading Foley artists to learn the surprising tricks behind creating the sound effects for India's biggest action films.

In the showroom of India’s leading fashion designer, Manish Malhotra, Anita discovers how important the costumes are to Bollywood before racing across town to visit the hundreds of men working in his factories – where the most elaborate outfits can take six months and involve more than a million hand stiches. This is an example of the extraordinary wealth divide in India; the average salary for tailors across India is less than £1500 a year but the outfits they make can be worth as much as £27,000 and the Bollywood stars that wear them can earn tens of millions of pounds.

At a magazine cover shoot, Anita meets superstar Sidharth Malhotra to understand just how fanatical Indians are about their movie stars. Finally, she flies to Jodhpur where she's roped into helping the wardrobe department dress a cast of hundreds for an epic battle scene at an ancient fort, as the casting team scramble to find enough foreign extras just hours before filming begins.

59 minutes

Last on

Mon 18 Nov 2019 23:15

Music Played

  • Eric Clapton

    Let It Grow

  • Ajay-Atul, Udit Narayan, Sunidhi Chauhan, Hrithik Roshan, Sanjay Dutt, Priyanka Chopra

    Gun Gun Guna (From "Agneepath")

  • Mamta Sharma

    Fevicol Se

  • Benny Dayal

    The Disco Song

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Anita Rani
Special thanks Bhansali Productions
Special thanks Essel Vision Productions
Special thanks Farhath Hussain
Special thanks Think Events
Special thanks Kairos Kontent Studios
Special thanks Kriarj Entertainment
Special thanks Panorama Studios
Special thanks Romp Pictures
Special thanks Viacom 18 Motion Pictures
Re-recording mixer Nas Parkash
Colourist Chris Batham
On-line editing Ronnie Newman
Sound Recordist Sudipto Mukhopadhyay
Production Coordinator Laura Hodgson
Line Producer James Mudie
Editor Tony Graynoth
Producer Sarah Muhsen
Executive Producer Dominique Walker
Series Producer Chris Parkin
Director Chris Parkin
Production Company Raw TV

Broadcasts

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The Big British Asian Summer

The Big British Asian Summer

A season of programmes across the ´óÏó´«Ã½ exploring what it means to be British and Asian.