‘NRI TV Film Awards’

First ‘NRI TV Film Awards’ held at the Grand Ballroom, Manhattan Center Studios, on Dec. 5 showcased NRI cinema talent. Seen in the photo are, from left, Kishore Dadlaney of Video Sound, H.R. Shah of TV Asia, who was the main presenter of the show; actor and producer Tirlok Malik; Lal Dadlaney of Video Sound, and Sreenath Sreenivasan, associate professor of professional practice at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. (File photos)

‘Bride and Prejudice,’ ‘Shwaas’ at S. Asian film festival

Director Gurinder Chadha speaking to reporters at the red carpetng of ‘Bride & Prejudice’ during the inauguration of the South Asian International Film Festival (SAIFF) at Ziegfeld Theater in New York on Dec. 1. Among the films screened at SAIFF included ‘Saroja,’ Sri Lanka, 1999; ‘Starkiss: Circus Girls of India,’ Nepal, 2004; ‘The Clay Bird,’ Bangladesh, 2003; ‘Yeh Dil Aapka Hua,’ Pakistan, 2004; ‘The Inner World of Shahrukh Khan,’ India, 2004; ‘Final Solution,’ India, 2004; ‘Meenaxi,’ India, 2004; and ‘Black Friday,’ India, 2004.

A scene from ‘Shwaas,’ which was screened at the Rubin Museum as part of the festival. (File photos)

Bollywood legends honored and feted at Atlantic City

Veteran actress Helen, left, known for her sensuous dance numbers, and actress Bipasha Basu, right, at ‘Bollywood Showcase Tribute to Legends of Indian Cinema’ at Atlantic City on Nov. 20. Led by 81-year-old actor director and producer Dev Anand, some of the most adored personalities of Hindi cinema were feted and honored at the show, ‘Bollywood Showcase Tribute to Legends of Indian Cinema,’ in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on Nov. 20. The event honored Dev Anand, Vyjayanthimala, Zeenat Aman, Jeetendra, Helen, Padmini, Feroz Khan, Moushumi Chatterjee, Prem Chopra, and the late Kishore Kumar, Mehmood and Ajit. Kamal Dandona, whose Bollywood Group organized the show, described it as phenomenal in terms of people’s response. The show drew fans from the Tri-state area of New Jersey, New York and Connecticut. (File photo)

‘Indian Diaspora’ Festival

U.N. Under-Secretary General and author of ‘Riot,’ Shashi Tharoor, presenting the IAACFF Award to author Salman Rushdie. Filmmakers Mira Nair and Ismail Merchant were also honored at the event.

Screenwriter and producer Tracey Jackson, left, presenting the Indo American Arts Council Film Festival Award to actress Shabana Azmi at theng night gala of the ‘Fourth Annual Indo American Arts Council Film Festival: The Indian Diaspora’ at the Lincoln Center in New York City on Nov. 5. The gala at Lincoln Center’s Kaplan Penthouse followed a screening of Gurinder Chadha’s ‘Bride and Prejudice’ at Walter Reade Theater. (File photos)