Cinema Paradiso

It's one of the prime driving forces of the country and its mammoth of a presence cannot be undermined or simply shooed away.

This weekend, drive down to the Bollywood Carnival

It8217;s one of the prime driving forces of the country and its mammoth of a presence cannot be undermined or simply shooed away. What television was in the 8216;80s and 8216;90s, cinema is today 8211; in its golden period recording sky-rocketing revenues, immense job opportunities and reviving the much-dead thought process. Starting today, with a view to create more awareness of the potential of media and entertainment as a significant contributor to the economic development of the northern region, and the vast employment opportunities, it offers in its various segments, CMES Centre for Media and Entertainment Studies, a venture of the ITFT Institute of Technology 038; Future Management Trends Chandigarh is organising a three-day 8216;Bollywood Carnival8217; at village Hoshiarpur, on PGI-Mullanpur road.

While the occasion saw Deputy Commissioner S A S Nagar Mohali Rahul Bhandari release a concept paper prepared by the ITFT Education Group on developing district Mohali as a cinematic and rural tourism destination, the real carnival, which will go on till November 16, stood complete with a colourful film city, scenes from well-known films, a prototype of a radio station and a display of 8216;clips from flicks8217; shot in the northern Indian states.

You can catch CMES students showing off their talents as they re-enact scenes from popular films like Jab we Met, Border, Veer Zaara, Rang de Basanti, Legend of Bhagat Singh et al. If in all this activity, there8217;s a rumble in your tummy, then head for the 8216;Bollywood Food Court8217; for flavours of the north and south. The fun doesn8217;t end here for a carnival is never complete without the traditional touch. So don8217;t miss on Punjab8217;s traditional handicrafts, artisans from Patiala who would be out there weaving phulkari, making colourful juttis, parandas and other wonderful items. Apart from this, there are competitions in acting, dance, singing, make-up, mask making, set designing, Bollywood fancy dress, photography, mimicry, costume designing, street theatre, lyrics, script writing, video jockey, radio jockey and anchoring. According to the organizers, a talent bank would be developed for television and film producers who are always on the look out for fresh faces. Enjoy!