Bollywood news stories on Newser

Bollywood Film on Castes Banned in India

Matt Cantor — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 13:17:43 CDT

Three Indian states have banned a new Bollywood film that addresses the caste system. The film has already sparked the anger of lower caste groups, who say it fuels prejudice, the AP reports. The lower caste groups, called Dalits, make up about a quarter of India’s population. The film, called...

India's 'Picasso' Dead at 95

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 10:14:55 CDT

MF Hussain, a former movie billboard artist who rose to become India's most sought-after painter before going into self-imposed exile during an uproar over nude images of Hindu icons, died today. He was 95. Often described as India's Picasso, Hussain had lived in Dubai since 2006 after receiving death threats...

Indian Pol Tells White Actresses to Leave Bollywood

Rob Quinn — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 06:01:35 CDT

The head of a Hindu nationalist group has started a campaign to drive white women out of Bollywood. Raj Thackeray says the hundreds of foreigners from Britain and elsewhere who work in Mumbai's film industry are stealing jobs from Indian women. His group raided one production last week demanding to...

Newest TV Trend: Indian-Themed Shows

Evann Gastaldo — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 11:43:07 CST

Bollywood is coming to Hollywood, with more Indian actors and TV shows about Indians and Indian Americans coming to the small screen. The interest in all things Indian “was boiling, hovering there, with the increasing popularity of Indian clothing, food, and Bollywood movies”—and then Slumdog Millionaire came along last...

India Appeal Likens Gay Sex to Bestiality

Wesley Oliver — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 18:21:40 CDT

India’s gay and lesbian community celebrated the Delhi High Court’s decriminalization of homosexual sex last week with lavish parties, but festivities may have been premature, GlobalPost reports. India’s Supreme Court has signaled that it will consider an appeal of the verdict, the climax of an 8-year legal battle that exposed...

Bollywood Stars Duel Over Seat in Parliament

Katherine Thompson — Wed, 06 May 2009 11:17:02 CDT

Imagine a congressional election pitting Jay Leno against Simon Cowell. The rough equivalent is happening now in India, where talk-show host Shekhar "Shaker" Suman is running for Parliament against Shatrughan "Shotgun" Sinha, a Bollywood star and judge on a hugely popular talent show. But fame may not help them. The...

Brit's Beau Meets Folks— or Is This a Hoax?

Evann Gastaldo — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 10:04:06 CST

It seems like only yesterday Britney was shaving her head and dating bad boys—now she’s (supposedly) cooking dinner and introducing her new boyfriend to her parents, the Daily Mirror reports. A source claims Bollywood choreographer Sandip Soparrkar flew to the US to spend New Year’s Eve with the pop...

Brit Snags Bollywood Boyfriend

Evann Gastaldo — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 10:00:00 CST

Britney Spears apparently has enough freedom from her dad to take a quickie trip to India—with her new love, the Mirror reports. The comeback kid, known for dating bad boys, has been seeing the choreographer of her "Womanizer" video, Bollywood dance instructor Sandip Soparrkar. The pair, who just spent...

When Did Bombay Become Mumbai?

Nick McMaster — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 14:07:01 CST

The terrorist attacks last week saw Mumbai dominate headlines across the world. But when did Bombay become Mumbai? For locals it’s always been Mumbai, in honor of Mumbadevi, the city’s deity, writes Christopher Beam for Slate. But the city’s official name change happened in 1995, when the nationalist Shiv Sena...