Bollywood is the common term for the Hindi film industry, which is based in Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay). Extremely popular on a worldwide basis, it has produced such crossover Hollywood stars as Priyanka Chopra, Irrfan Khan, and Freida Pinto.
Bhangra is the common term for an infectious, upbeat dance music that originated in the Punjab region that includes India and Pakistan. One of its biggest early pioneers is Queens College graduate DJ Rekha, who grew up in Flushing. She spearheaded Basement Bhangra, one of NYC’s longest-running club acts (1997-2017) and co-created a theme to Padma Lakshmi’s Hulu cooking show Taste the Nation.
Learn more and meet the stars during Bollywood Disco: Talk + Party at the Museum of the Moving Image on Friday, Aug. 16, at 5 pm.
DJ Rekha and New York-based filmmaker Saleem Nasir Gondal, whose work explores themes of language and intimacy in BIPOC communities, will discuss the evolution of storytelling in Hindi cinema and how Bollywood engages with cultural, national, and political borders. Several clips of Bollywood films will screen as will Gondal’s Post Term, a 2023 short about a Pakistani couple settling in Long Island in the 1990s.
After the discussion, DJ Rekha will get the party jumping with dance classics, live performances, film favorites, and disco grooves.
Admission is free, and the Moving Image Café and Bar will sell flatbreads, paninis, pizzettes, beer, wine, and cider all night.
Bollywood Disco is part of Open Worlds, an initiative that organizes events in MoMI’s new community center on the first floor. An estimated 15,500 square feet in total, the climate-controlled venue has WiFi, a green space, and the new concession.
The next Open Worlds event is MoMI Trivia on Friday, Aug. 23, at 6 pm. A presentation on Southeast Asian film is on Sept. 21, and a birthday celebration for Jim Henson is on Sept. 22.
MoMI is at 36-01 35th Ave. in Astoria’s Kaufman Arts District.
Image: Museum of the Moving Image