Vidhi’s Bollywood Film Club

by Vidhi Salla

In December, 2020, at the peak of the pandemic, I collaborated with Epsilon Spires, a performing arts venue in Brattleboro, Vermont to curate a virtual movie series called ‘Vidhi’s Bollywood Film Club. I chose each of the films that were then screened on the Epsilon Spires website for a period of two weeks. I recorded cultural introductions to every film that are available for viewing on my YouTube channel below. The screening was followed by a post-film discussion and Q&A session over zoom. I was in India at the time and the film club brought together movie buffs from all over the world who participated in the discussions with their curious questions and astute observations.

As part of the film club, we showed three films online starting with the Bollywood magnum opus, Mughal-E-Azam (1960) followed by the light-hearted Golmaal (1979) and concluded with the endearing English Vinglish (2012). Owing to the success of the film club, I also received a grant with the help of Epsilon Spires from the local non-profit called the Arts Council of Windham County. With the grant money, we were able to show Ship of Theseus (2013) outdoors as part of the Backlot Cinema at Epsilon Spires in the summer of 2021.

The film club was a memorable experience connecting with movie enthusiasts from all over the world. If you would like to host an Indian film club in your community, please get in touch with me on vidhisjukebox@gmail.com.

Vidhi Salla

My previews of Indian films

Vidhi Salla
As part of my monthly film series at Garden cinemas in Greenfield, Massachusetts, I screened the Bollywood blockbuster film, Sholay. Watch the preview.
This is the very first poem that I wrote. Also the first raga poem that I recited to the accompaniment of Raga Bihag played by @JoelVeenaon the Indian slide guitar. The performance video is from a Diwali party I hosted at home on the first weekend of November in 2024. The gathering coincided with the end of daylight savings which I also incorporated into the poem. Here's the full poem: Diwali 2024 By Vidhi Salla The days grow darker as the festival of lights nears From deep within the trunk I pull out the tightly wound festive spirit, Dust off the cobwebs and string it up Tiny flickering specks bearing the promise of celebration Celebration reminiscent of my life in in another lifetime Of dry October heat Filled with aromas of fried food wafting from kitchen windows Neatly stacked windows, Some softly, some loudly, some hurriedly flashing the morse codes of festivities Dry October heat intensified by continuous fireworks A cacophonous distorted symphony Faintly heard even in half wakeful sleep Fireworks that pierce through conversations of festive greetings Blaring fireworks that I have now happily traded for deafening silence Amidst the sound of autumn leaves crunching beneath my feet I find the festive spirit Adamantly beaming like a late fall blossom Festivals, I hear, are the same everywhere No matter the month, religion, region Same concoction: much preparation, much anxiety, anticipation, tradition, fixation My longing for the familiar, I replace with creation of the new The carefully picked festive spirit I place amidst other glowing hearts And watch as it shines brighter, blooms louder The clock turns us all into pumpkins tomorrow Early nights tightening their grip 'Til there's nowhere to go but in But today, today we rejoice in the presence of light Tiny flickering specks of spirit we are Strung together to celebrate This festival called life All rights to the visuals, music and words in this video belong to Vidhi Salla. Unauthorized or uncredited use of any material is restricted.
I was invited by Drew Hutchison, host of the show 'Local Bias' airing on the Greenfield, Massachusetts community television channel GCTV to talk about my Bollywood film series at Garden Cinemas in Greenfield. We spoke about my film curation, foray into journalism and the monthly series I have planned for Garden Cinemas. Please like, comment and share.
Wendy O' Connell, the incredible host of BCTV's talk show, 'Here We Are' interviewed me in late fall of 2022. She asked me interesting questions about my work and life in Vermont and India. The interview is as it appeared on@BrattleboroCommunityTV
In October, I will be hosting a month-long series of four different Bollywood films that will be screened every Thursday at 6:30pm and Sunday at 4pm. I will also present a cultural introduction before every screening and have on sale my Indian handicrafts.
My first in-person Bollywood movie event was held at The Stone Church in Brattleboro, Vermont in the US in the summer of 2021. Watch the snippets of my introduction and audience reactions to the movie.
Bollywood's epic film Mughal-E-Azam was screened online as part of Vidhi's Bollywood Film Club. The preview was provided in two parts with the idea that audiences could watch the almost 4-hour-movie in two parts.
Hrishikesh Mukherjee is one of my favourite Bollywood directors. One of the participants in the discussions expressed a desire to watch a comedy film and Gol Maal instantly came to mind. Apart from being a cult comedy classic, Gol Maal also effectively captured the essence of middle class life in India of the 1970s.
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