Why 2014 Was a Great Year for Bollywood Fans in the USA

Falling In Love With Bollywood: A westerner's appreciation for Indian film - the stories, songs, and stars - without spoilers.

Why 2014 Was a Great Year for Bollywood Fans in the USA - Falling in Love with Bollywood

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Tuesday, 30 December 2014

Why 2014 Was a Great Year for Bollywood Fans in the USA

For Bollywood fans in the United States, 2014 was a fantastic year to connect with their favorite Indian celebrities. While the Internet offered more opportunities to follow films and stars, several big events brought Bollywood's brightest to American audiences.

Here are some highlights from this past year that made 2014 a great year for Bollywood fans in the USA.

1. Twitter Fun

Twitter offered more ways for fans to connect with their favorite stars and films in 2014. Celebrities shared film promotions, film anniversaries, birthday celebrations, friends and family news, and personal thoughts about major events - and fans around the world followed along. The new year started off with a personalized #HNYPoster sent to fans by Farah Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Sonu Sood, Vivaan Shah, Boman Irani, and Abhishek Bachchan. Shah Rukh Khan responded to fan artwork and Amitabh Bachchan personally thanked fans for their #AB72Wishes of love and support on his 72nd birthday. While Shahid Kapoor shared #HaiderOnMyMind, Hrithik Roshan challenged colleagues to a #BangBangDare, and Aamir Khan shared a unique #PKPoster which generated quite a number of responses and piqued our interest in the film.

2. Superstar Selfies

Ellen DeGeneres' Oscar group selfie with friends helped contribute to an increase in celebrity selfies - and Bollywood fans benefitted. Shahid Kapoor, Abhishek Bachchan, Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan were some of the stars who celebrated milestones in their lives by sharing selfies with fans. The selfie phenomenon was recognized in the song "Selfie Pulla" in Tamil actor Vijay's film Kaththi, released 21 October 2014.

Let's Take a Selfie Photo! ("Selfie Pulla", Kaththi) #SelfiePulla

3. IIFA 2014

From April 23-26, Bollywood stars, fans and friends descended on Tampa, Florida for the 2014 International Indian Film Awards (IIFA) celebration and weekend events. Anil Kapoor, Sridevi, Boney Kapoor, Govinda, Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone, Hrithik Roshan, Sonu Sood, Vivek Oberoi, Sonakshi Sinha, Dhanush, Ranveer Singh, Anupam Kher, Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, John Travolta, Kevin Spacey, Milkha Singh and many others came to celebrate and share in the fun. The entertaining duo of Farhan Akhtar and Shahid Kapoor kept the fun times going on the final night in the Tampa Bay Buccaneer's stadium.

4. SLAM! The Tour

After 10 years, Shah Rukh Khan once again returned to the states for a live performance with SLAM! The Tour. This time he brought along his Indiawaale team of Farah Khan, Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan, Sonu Sood, Boman Irani, Vivaan Shah, and Malaika Arora Khan along with singers Yo Yo Honey Singh and Kanika Kapoor. Touring through the USA, Canada and the UK, fans flocked to these once-in-a-lifetime shows. Building on the selfie fun, Abhishek Bachchan posted Instagram videos with the audience at each of the venues.

5. HNY Cast visits Google and Twitter

While in the states, the cast of Happy New Year visited the Califormia headquarters of Google and Twitter. Speaking with staff, they celebrated the benefits of technology and how it has connected people and cultures around the world. From Shah Rukh Khan sheepishly sharing his 8-packs to Boman Irani singing a song, to Vivaan Shah sharing some dance moves and the whole team getting personalized Twitter hoodies, the HNY team was joyfully embraced by the tech teams and fans across the globe.

Shah Rukh Khan and Friends Visit Google and Twitter HQ #HNYatGoogleHQ #HNYatTwitterHQ

6. YouTube Videos

While the interview is standard fare for most actors, fans around the world were treated to several youtube.com videos that went beyond the interview. Alia Bhatt poked fun at herself through the video "Genius of the Year", Shah Rukh Khan appeared on the interview parody show "Barely Speaking with Arnub" and Ranveer Singh offered a "Tribute to Hrithik Roshan" by performing his #BangBangDare on a Mumbai street as Krrish. The Happy New Year cast members offered their Happy Independence Day video wishes on August 15 and a series titled "Know Your Indiawaale" featured the cast responding to a series of questions about their fellow actors. On a more serious side, Rani Mukherjee shared several videos showing Krav Maga self-defense techniques as a tie-in to the release of her film Mardaani.

Rani Mukherjee's #Mardaani: Fighting for Human Rights

7. Bollywood Films in Mainstream Theaters

Just a year ago, you often had to visit out-of-the way theaters to see a Bollywood film. But in 2014, many mainstream theaters in the USA - particularly Regal Cinemas and Cinemark - joined in the worldwide release of not only Hindi films but Tamil films as well. While audiences in these theaters may not be the size or scale typically seen for a Hollywood film, audiences are growing and becoming more diverse. Hopefully that trend will continue with the promise of some fascinating films set to release in 2015.

If you liked this, check out some of our other posts via the categories on the right.

Posted at 01:06 PM | Permalink