Chai with Priya Bollywood surprise

Two very different parts of my life were interwoven last week when the bullring in La Linea became the movie set for a big Bollywood production.

I never would have imagined that a Bollywood film would be recorded right at my doorstep, or that one of my favourite actors, Shahid Kapoor, would be so close to home.

I saw that the production house was calling for extras for the sets, and the response was positive.

But, with work commitments, I knew that was not an option so I went across the frontier with a friend to try and see if I could try my luck and find my way onto the set.

This was the third day of filming for Arjun Ustara and security was tight at the bullring.

There were security guards situated at every entrance and big lorries for filming equipment.

“One of India’s most famous actors is in there,” the security guard told me, but he would not confirm the name.

Our interests piqued, we made our way around the bullring until we saw two Indian women walking out.

They were both make-up artists and they confirmed who the actors were in the film. They confirmed that they were staying some 30 minutes away and that the next set for the film would be Ronda on Saturday.

Other than that, they did not offer more information.

But my WhatsApp groups were buzzing with information about the stars.

People were hoping to catch a sight of the actors or anyone else they recognised, while a video of Shahid Kapoor on set spread across groups quickly.

My friend, Aashita who works in Gibraltar but lives in La Linea, was one of the lucky few to have been able to meet with the actor, and his co-star, Triptii Dimri.

“We passed by the La Linea bullring one afternoon on our way home and I suddenly spotted Shahid Kapoor walking out of the door so we stopped for a minute to greet him,” she said.

“He is genuinely one of the most humble celebrities I have met, and he spoke with such warmth and did not hurry the conversation.”

Unfortunately, Aashita was not able to take a photograph with him as he was in costume for the set.

“What struck me the most was his humility and his warmth,” she said.

“I never would have imagined spotting a Bollywood celebrity in La Linea of all places.”

“I used to have his poster on my wall as a teenager and Shahid Kapoor gave 14-year-old me her fan moment!”

So why was meeting Shahid Kapoor or having a Bollywood set filmed in La Linea such a big deal for Bollywood fans living on the Rock or in the Campo area?

For many of us in the Indian diaspora, Bollywood provided us access to the Indian culture living and growing up so far away from the country.

Hindi cinema, known popularly as Bollywood, refers to the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai.

Bollywood is a combination of Bombay, the former name for Mumbai, and Hollywood.

Every year, Bollywood creates at least 800 movies and sells around four billion cinema tickets.

When people think of Bollywood, the first thought that comes to mind are dancing and cheesy plotlines, throw in some romance, drama, comedy and even action, or all of the above.

The movies have been centred on family-friendly fun with lots of songs, and each movie centred around a love storyline.

Bollywood gave us access to Indian fashion, music, celebrities and with it all the gossip that ensued.

We grew up knowing all the musical numbers and dances and songs.

While access to movies in the cinema in Gibraltar was limited, over the past few years the latest Bollywood blockbusters have been regularly played in the cinemas locally.

Streaming platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime have also made movies more accessible, while Spotify and YouTube keep us in the loop with music.

But, as a child, access to Bollywood movies were very different.

You could rent movies from video clubs or buy unofficial copies while visiting India or London.

The music was not readily available on the radio either, and I remember coming back from a trip to India loaded with cassettes, and later CDs, that I played over and over again until I knew every single lyric to every single song.

A trip to India would never be complete without a celebrity sighting, and it felt so ordinary to see them going about their regular routine in shops, restaurants or even in the airport.
When I lived in London, celeb spotting during the summer months was a fun activity.

But as the industry and celebrity culture grew, access to favourite actors and actresses lessened.

So the fact that one of Bollywood’s biggest stars, who has featured in almost 70 films, was filming just across the border in La Linea was a very big deal for Bollywood fans living on the Rock.

This Bollywood fan is just a little bit sad for missing out on meeting one of her favourite actors even though he was a short distance away.