What is Vidhiism?

Welcome to my website. I’m Vidhi Salla. I’m a film curator and journalist of Indian cinema and music. I have been writing on Indian cultural arts for over 10 years. I host an internationally streaming radio show called Vidhi’s Bollywood Jukebox. Vidhiism is the name for all my creative endeavours: my radio show (Vidhi’s Bollywood Jukebox), my podcast (Vidhi’s Jukebox), my specially curated movie events (Vidhiism Events, Vidhi’s Bollywood Film Club), my brand of Indian handicrafts (Vidhiism Handicrafts) and articles that I write (Articles archive). I also offer DJ and emcee services. Please take a moment to explore the site for areas that might interest you. For collaborations, write to me on vidhisjukebox@gmail.com. Do subscribe to my newsletter by filling out the form on the bottom of this page to receive regular updates on my shows and events.

Vidhiism events

Vidhiism events are pop-up movie fairs featuring Bollywood and Indian films, Indian handicrafts and cuisine that provide a wholesome movie-watching experience to audiences. Before each film, I present an introduction talking about the socio-cultural background of the film, its characters, interesting anecdotes and snippets of my exclusive interviews with Bollywood celebrities wherever applicable. Often, I host a post-film Q&A session with audiences. Below are some of the films I have presented in the past. Read more about Vidhiism events here.

Past events

Bollywood Spotlight Series 2
October 15, 2023 – November 8, 2023
Venue: The Latchis Theatre, 50 Main St, Brattleboro, VT

Reviving my collaboration with The Latchis Theatre in Brattleboro this year, I will present yet another exciting list of four films to be shown at the historic theater. The films will be spread over four weeks with two screenings per film every week: Sundays 4pm and Wednesdays 7pm. I will present an introduction to every film before its screening and have on display my Indian handicrafts in the foyer of The Latchis. Entry is by a suggested donation of $10 but no one will be turned away. Check out the complete schedule of all the films:

Week 1
Bajirao Mastani (2015)
Run time 2h 38mins
Sunday, October 15th, 2023, 4pm
Wednesday, October 18th, 2023, 7pm

Week 2
Sholay (1975)
Run time 3h 8mins
Sunday, October 22, 2023, 4pm
Wednesday, October 25, 2023, 7pm

Week 3
Monsoon Wedding
(2001)
Run time 2h 30mins
Sunday, October 29, 2023, 4pm
Wednesday, November 1, 2023, 7pm

Week 4
3 Idiots (2009)
Run time 2h 51mins
Sunday, November 5, 2023, 4pm
Wednesday, November 8, 2023, 7pm

Last Film Show / Chhello Show (2021)
August 18, 2023
Venue: Epsilon Spires, Brattleboro, VT

Last Film Show is a Gujarati-language film bearing the original title, Chhello Show directed by Pan Nalin. It was India’s entry to the 95th Academy Awards in the ‘Best International Feature Film’ category. The film is about a nine-year-old boy named Samay living in a remote village in Gujarat in western India who sells tea at the railway station with his father. Samay falls in love with movies upon watching his first film at a single-screen theatre in a town neighboring his village. He frequents the theatre and befriends the projectionist by bribing him with his mother’s delectable home-cooked food and harbors a dream to become a filmmaker. Chhello Show is a semi-autobiographical account of the director who grew up in a similar village in Gujarat watching masala Hindi movies and swapping lunchboxes with a local projectionist. Several critics have compared Chhello Show to Cinema Paradiso (1988) even calling it a “spiritual successor” of the latter. Chhello Show was screened inside Epsilon Spires in Gujarati with English subtitles and the audience thoroughly enjoyed the film. Listen to my interview with Pan Nalin that is part of my podcast and please leave a 5-star review. Link to podcast here.

Bollywood Spotlight Series
October 6th-30th 2022
Venue: Latchis Theatre Brattleboro, VT

For the entire month of October in 2022, I showcased one Bollywood film, every Thursday and Sunday at The Latchis Theatre in Brattleboro, VT. As part of the Bollywood Spotlight Series, I curated films from different genres and time periods. This series was really effective in introducing Bollywood to several first-time audiences. Diligent audiences came every week to watch the different films and eagerly awaited my introduction to each film. Below is the full schedule of the series:

Week 1
Mughal-E-Azam (1960)
Run time: 3h 17m
Thursday, October 6th, 6:30pm
Sunday, October 9th, 4pm

Week 2
English Vinglish (2012)
Run time: 2h 14m
Thursday, October 13, 6:30pm
Sunday, October 16, 4pm

Week 3
Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. (2003)
Run time: 2h 36m
Thursday, October 20, 6:30pm
Sunday, October 23, 4pm

Week 4
Shree 420 (1955)
Run time: 2h 48m
Thursday, October 27, 6:30pm
Sunday, October 30, 4pm

Read more about the Bollywood Spotlight Series here.

English Vinglish (2012)
September 2, 2022, 7pm onwards
Venue: Nova Arts, Keene, NH

In collaboration with Nova Arts, a cool cafe and performing arts venue in Keene, I presented the endearing Bollywood film, English Vinglish (2012). English Vinglish is the story of homemaker and entrepreneur Shashi Godbole who secretly enrolls for a basic English-speaking class on her month-long trip to New York City. As always, I played Bollywood dance music before the screening alongside a pop-up stall of my Indian handicrafts. I gave a pre-screening introduction about the characters and unique message of the film. Details about the event.

Umrao Jaan (1981)
August 18 2022, 7:30pm onwards
Venue: Epsilon Spires, Brattleboro, VT

Bollywood historical drama, Umrao Jaan (1981) was my choice of film that was screened at Epsilon Spires on August 18 from 7:30pm onwards. In my cultural introduction to the film, I also shared personal anecdotes of my interview with the director of the film, Muzaffar Ali. The mostly female audience was enchanted by the costumes and jewellery worn by the courtesan performers in the film. They were able to satiate those cravings of Indian handicrafts by shopping at my pop-up stall of scarves, purses and silver jewellery. More information about the event.

Pyaasa (1951)
July 30, 2022
Venue: UU Society of Amherst

I showcased the classic Bollywood film, Pyaasa (1957) at the UU Society of Amherst. The well-regarded gem from Indian cinema is about a poet named Vijay who searches in vain for recognition for his art in a materialistic world. The film was well-received and had in attendance a number of young students from University of Massachusetts in Amherst.

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Queen (2014)
July 10, 2021
Venue: The Stone Church

A popular feminist film from Bollywood, Queen (2014) was screened at The Stone Church on July 10, 2021. Watch the event highlights and audience reaction in the video below.

Listen to my podcast!

My podcast is called Vidhi’s Jukebox where I share my exclusive interviews with film personalities. The first episode is an interview with Bollywood singer KK, the second episode is my chat with filmmaker Pan Nalin ahead of my screening of his movie, Last Film Show. Listen to the podcast here. You can also find it on Apple Podcasts by searching for Vidhi’s Jukebox.

Vidhi’s Bollywood Jukebox

Vidhi’s Bollywood Jukebox is my weekly theme-based radio show about Bollywood and Indian music. The show airs on Brattleboro, Vermont’s community radio station WVEW-LP every Thursday from 3-5pm EST. The live show can be live streamed worldwide during broadcast here. For archived episodes of my show, click any of the links below.

Click here for all episodes

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