From 1st September to 28th November a major arts project is being staged at the Harrow Museum in Middlesex. 'Imagine Bollywood' provides a unique glimpse into the world of Asian cinema, capturing the glamour and celebrity of Bollywood. Alhough the 'Imagine Bollywood' contains several elements, the focus of the project is on the 'Bollywood In Love' poster exhibition.

Bollywood In Love, which is free to the public, features classic and contemporary film posters from the 50s to the present day, and photography and film footage from some of the greatest Bollywood romances. In addition a programme of workshops has been arranged to run alongside the exhibition offering a variety of Asian influenced arts and crafts, as well as half-term activities for children. There will also be special weekend screenings of three classic films, Mother India, Deewar and Devdas.

Now established as one of the world's largest producers of films, Bollywood challenges Hollywood in quality and quantity of film making. As an industry, Bollywood lies at the heart of Indian popular culture, and along with its stars, is adored by millions of fans around the world.

The posters are displayed under four different themes:

A) MECHANICS OF LOVE

Unlike a Hollywood film, an Indian production is made against the backdrop of various societal concerns; the posters trace these taboos and trends. The earlier posters in the collection illustrate the segregation and the unacceptable mixing of sexes. Some of the posters play up this fantasy and there are clear distinctions between the characteristics of the Bollywood romance film from its western counterparts, for example the characters struggle for family approval. There is an examination of the crafty strategies used to overcome Indian social taboos-for example, public kissing-and how these strategies, such as the well-known Bollywood 'fantasy song and dance' sequence-enable stars to make their declarations of love and provide a good opportunity to display the female body.

B) THE STARS WE LOVE

The rise of the great stars in Bollywood began in the 1950s and continued throughout 1960s. Bollywood audiences flocked to cinemas knowing that their favourite star was in the film they were about to see. The poster collection tells us who is experiencing a golden age at a particular time because the same faces, and often the same couplings, are repeated. This section will focus on the film stars themselves, the star persona, which made national, figures out of some celebrities and their real life stories that fans find so important, for example Nargis, Raj Kapoor, Guru Dutt, Waheeda Rehman and Amitabh Bachchan amongst others.

C) TRUE LOVE AND MARRIAGE

Many of the stars depicted in the poster collection fell in love on screen as well as in real life. Their children are the stars of today's Bollywood movies. This section will offer a historical perspective of the new generation of Asian talent.

D) BOLLYWOOD IN BRITAIN

This section takes a rare glimpse behind the scenes of a film shoot in the UK through a series of specially commissioned photographs. It also reveals Britain as one of Bollywood's main overseas markets, with the industry's films regularly featuring in the UKs top twenty film releases.

Other highlights on display are digital montages inspired by the film posters in the exhibition and photography featuring the art of Bollywood billboards, which grace the Bombay skyline.

Bollywood In Love is a special exhibition appealing to fans of all ages. Newcomers to the medium, along with those interested in dance, music and design, will find the exhibition to be a perfect introduction to the style and imagery now so widely recognised as Bollywood.

FILM SCREENINGS

Saturday 27th September : 7pm MOTHER INDIA : U - 163mins
Saturday 18th October : 7pm DEEWAR :12 - 160mins
Saturday 15th November: 7pm DEVDAS : PG - 185mins
Admission to each screening £3
FILM INFORMATION & TICKETS
Harrow Arts Centre 020 8428 0124

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