The List

Bollywood by the Bay

Every morning I wake up with Bollywood movie tunes going through my head. Every. Single. Morning. Such is the life of a Bollywood fanatic who needs the addictive rhythms, blinding bling-covered costumes, sensational settings, and emotional outpourings of Hindi Cinema. To keep from getting the tremors, I require an injection several times a month. Happily the Bay Area is not stingy with its Indian film offerings. Listed below are some of the best places to get your fix.

The much anticipated Bollywood film “Jodhaa Akbar” opens at the Balboa Theater in San Francisco this Friday (the same day as the world-wide release). This movie has big-time creds featuring two of the hottest Bollywood stars, Ashwariya Rai Bachchan and Hrithik Roshan, scored by the prolific composer A.R. Rahman, and helmed by Ashutosh Gowariker, director of the Oscar nominated “Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India” (which featured a truly exciting hour-and-a-half cricket match).

topics: bollywood, lists

Bollyhood, a concept, a cafe

“The Indian diaspora has always been strong,” says Ivan Jaigirdar, and nowhere does one enjoy it more than at Jaigirdar’s new Bollyhood Cafe at 19th and Mission streets. Now open 5 p.m. to midnight, the cafe offers a screen filled with Bollywood eye-candy, plates filled with South Asian food, and drinks to warm them both. SF360.org visited the opening party, spoke with Jaigirdar about the cafe and got a whiff of his larger global dreams to make Bollyhood the hangout not just for Indian film lovers but also to open the place up to African, Asian, and European communities as well.

topics: bollywood, experimental film