The Museum of Modern Art in New York City is screening an eight-film series, "Raj Kapoor and the Golden Age of Indian Cinema," from January 6-16. Raj Kapoor, known as the Great Showman, is regarded as the father of Indian cinema. He was one of the biggest Indian movie stars of the decade following India's independence and also a director and producer. He started his own production company, R.K. Films, in 1948. He was known for his tramp screen persona, and his films explored themes of socialism, patriotism, Indian identity in a globalizing world, and social barriers to love. His films were wildly popular in the former Soviet Union. Kapoor had a long romantic relationship with his frequent co-star, Nargis, a renowned actress. His performance in Awaara (1951), opposite Nargis, was ranked by Time magazine as one of the "Top 10 performances of all time." The films to be shown by MoMA include Aag (1948), Barsaat (1949), Awaara (1951), Shree 420 (1955), Meera Nam Joker (1970), and Bobby (1973). Kapoor (1924-1988) was the son of actor Prithviraj Kapoor, and he is the patriarch of a film dynasty that dominates Bollywood to this day—his brothers, Shammi and Shashi; his sons, Rishi, Randhi, and Rajiv; his granddaughters, Karisma and Kareena; and his grandson, Ranbir. For more information about the film series, visit moma.org or call (212) 708-9400.

Bollywood film Lagaan (2001)—about 19th-century Indian villagers who challenge the British to a cricket match in order to free themselves from oppressive taxes—made Time magazine’s list of the 25 best sports movies of all time. The magazine called Lagaan "surely the longest and most enthralling underdog-sports movie ever." Lagaan was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film—only the third Hindi-language film in history to get an Oscar nod, after Mother India (1957) and Salaam Bombay (1988). The movie introduced many Americans to Bollywood for the first time. Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan starred in and produced the film. It was the debut release of Aamir Khan Productions, which has since developed a reputation for selectivity, producing such well-regarded films as Peepli Live (2010). Lagaan was helmed by Ashutosh Gowariker, who later directed the award-winning Swades (2004) and Jodhaa Akbar (2008). Richard Corliss of Time wrote of the selection: "Lagaan has the capability to win over Bollywood newcomers—to turn snickers into smiles, indulgence to rapture. Writer-director Ashutosh Gowariker finds the spice in a masala mix of melodrama and character comedy, and keeps his cinematic rhythms humid and urgent for the full 3¾-hour running time. Even those who know none of cricket's complicated rules will bounce in their seats to A.R. Rahman's irrepressible tunes; here, one can immediately and fully accept the Bollywood trope of music and dance as an expression of life's deepest, most soaring emotions. As sports film, social document or communal ecstasy, Lagaan is the all-time all-rounder."

Recent Bollywood release Mausam will get a gala presentation, with a red carpet appearance by director Pankaj Kapoor, at the 47th Chicago International Film Festival in October. The film, a romantic epic about a Kashmiri refugee and a Punjabi Air Force officer, is the directorial debut of acclaimed Indian actor Pankaj Kapoor. It stars Sonam Kapoor and the director's son Shahid Kapoor. The event, to be held Friday, October 7 at AMC River East 21 (322 E. Illinois St.) in Chicago, headlines the festival's "Spotlight South Asia" program, sponsored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The program is the first of a three-part series that highlights the film culture of a different region of the world each year. The red carpet arrivals for Mausam begin at 6 pm, followed by the screening at 6:30 pm. An after-party will be held at Privet Nightclub & Lounge, 937 N. Rush St., at 10 pm, featuring Bollywood and Bhangra DJs. This year's Chicago International Film Festival runs from October 6-20. For more information, visit chicagofilmfestival.com.

Indian film legend Amitabh Bachchan will make his first-ever Hollywood film appearance in the upcoming Warner Bros. adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel The Great Gatsby, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire. Bachchan, who has appeared in 180 films over the last four decades, will play the role of Meyer Wolfsheim, a minor character in the book who is a shady business associate of the main character Jay Gatsby. Wolfsheim was based on the real-life New York crime boss Arnold Rothstein, who fixed the 1919 World Series. Bachchan will appear in one scene and has declined compensation because he is friends with the director, Baz Luhrmann, the Australian filmmaker of Moulin Rouge (2001) fame. Luhrmann is a long-time fan of Bollywood, and its influences on his work are clear. He has said that his fascination with Hindi cinema began when he saw the Bachchan-starrer Sholay (1975). Leonardo DiCaprio stars in the film as Gatsby, Carey Mulligan as Daisy, and Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway. Filming is underway in Australia. It is set to release in 2012 and will be distributed in 2D and 3D. Bachchan has downplayed the significance of his Hollywood debut, calling it a "friendly gesture," because he doesn't believe Indian cinema—the largest film industry in the world—needs any validation from Hollywood.

The Milwaukee Film Festival will feature a special program on Indian film—called "Passport: India"—at its third annual festival from September 22 to October 2. The festival, which screens contemporary American and international films, is introducing a country-specific program this year, beginning with the country that produces more films than any other, India. It includes a mix of feature films—both commercial and arthouse—and documentaries. The selections include Aarakshan, Mumbai Diaries, and Robot. Last year, more than 30,000 attended the festival, which had 26 sold-out screenings. Tickets go on sale September 8. For more information, visit www.milwaukee-film.org.

Dabangg was the big winner at the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards—often called "Bollywood's Oscars"—which were held in Toronto, Canada in June—the first time the event has taken place in North America. Dabangg, an homage to old-time masala films, picked up six awards, including best film. Hollywood stars Hillary Swank and Cuba Gooding Jr. were presenters at the ceremony. A-list Indian stars, including Priyanka Chopra, Bipasha Basu, Kangana Ranaut, and Shilpa Shetty, performed dance numbers for the sold-out live audience of 22,000. An estimated 700 million television viewers watched the awards gala. Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai, about the 1970s Mumbai underworld, had led the field with 12 nominations, including Ajay Devgn for best actor and Emraan Hashmi for best supporting actor, but garnered only one win—Prachi Desai for best supporting actress. Dabangg followed with 11 nominations, including Salman Khan for best actor. But Salman Khan and Ajay Devgn lost out—along with Guzaarish's Hrithik Roshan and Raajneeti's Ranbir Kapoor—to Shahrukh Khan for his role in My Name is Khan, a love story set in post-9/11 America. My Name is Khan's Karan Johar won best director. Anushka Sharma claimed the best actress award for her performance in the romantic comedy Band Baaja Baaraat. The best supporting actor award went to Arjun Rampal for his turn in the political thriller Raajneeti.

The annual Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles has chosen the feature films, documentaries, and short films for this year's program from April 12-17. The festival, in its 9th year, will include the world premiere of Walt Disney Pictures' Hindi production, Zokkomon, on April 17. The film, a live-action adventure about an ordinary boy who finds the strength to face extraordinary challenges, is set for limited theatrical release in the U.S. on April 22 and stars Darsheel Safary in the lead along with veteran actor Anupam Kher. Opening the festival is the award-winning I Am Kalam, which marks the feature-film debut of short-film director Nila Madhab Panda. I Am Kalam, the story of a young boy who struggles against the odds to get an education, stars Gulshan Grover. The red-carpet festivities will take place on April 12 at ArcLight Hollywood, 6360 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles. The festival is also screening Anurag Kashyap's That Girl in Yellow Boots, Kiran Rao's Dhobi Ghat, the romantic comedy Band Bajaa Baaraat, the sci-fi fantasy Robot, the social satire Peepli Live, and the coming-of-age drama Udaan. The world premiere of the documentary Big in Bollywood is also among the lineup.

Bollywood couple Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan graced the red carpet at the 83rd Academy Awards in February. Aishwarya wore a strapless bronze Giorgio Armani gown with amber sequins, while her husband Abhishek wore a traditional black tuxedo. Indian actress Mallika Sherawat also walked the red carpet—in a sequined white Mark Bouwer gown with a dramatic front slit and plunging neckline. The Bachchans were vacationing in the U.S. and said they received a last-minute invitation to the ceremony. They attended the Vanity Fair Oscar Party later that night. Aishwarya has appeared in several Hollywood productions. In 2007, she co-starred with this year's Best Actor winner Colin Firth in The Last Legion, along with British actor Ben Kingsley. Indian composer A.R. Rahman, known as the “Mozart of Madras” and famous for his work in Hindi film, was nominated for two Academy Awards this year, Best Original Score and Best Original Song—the latter a collaboration with British singer Dido—but lost, for his music for director Danny Boyle's film 127 Hours. Rahman performed with Dido at the ceremony. 127 Hours was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, but struck out in all categories.

Indian composer A.R. Rahman, known as the “Mozart of Madras” and famous for his work in Hindi film, was nominated for two Academy Awards this year for his music for director Danny Boyle's most recent film 127 Hours. The 45-year-old Rahman was nominated for Oscars for Best Original Score and Best Original Song—the latter a collaboration with British singer Dido. The 83rd Academy Awards ceremony will take place on February 27. Rahman won a host of awards—including two Oscars, two Grammys, a Golden Globe, and a British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Award—for his song “Jai Ho” from the film Slumdog Millionaire and for his contributions to the film’s soundtrack. At the 81st Academy Awards ceremony in 2009, Slumdog Millionaire, another Boyle film, won in eight categories, including Best Picture and Best Director. Three of the awards went to Indians, including Rahman. The film 127 Hours tells the true story of a U.S. rock climber who cut off his own arm after being trapped under a boulder in a canyon for five days. The movie was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

Bollywood actor Aamir Khan will serve as a juror at the 61st Berlin International Film Festival, to be held February 10-20. The seven-member jury, led by Italian-American actress Isabella Rossellini, will pick the winners of the festival's main prizes, the Golden and Silver Bear awards. The festival, also called the Berlinale, will open with the Hollywood production True Grit, by Oscar-winning filmmaking brothers Joel and Ethan Coen. Founded in 1951, it is one of the world's most prestigious film festivals. About 400 films are screened at the festival; about 20 compete for the Golden and Silver Bear awards. The other jury members include Australian film producer Jan Chapman, German actress Nina Hoss, Canadian filmmaker Guy Maddin, Oscar-winning costume designer Sandy Powell, and Iranian director Jafar Panahi.

Bollywood babe Bipasha Basu will appear with American actor Josh Hartnett in the Hollywood production Singularity, directed by Oscar-nominated Roland Joffe. Indian actor Abhay Deol also has a key role in the film, expected to release this fall. In her first international project, Basu will play a Maratha warrior and the love interest of Hartnett's character, a British soldier. The film is an epic time-travel romance set in both 18th-century colonial India and the present day. Singularity also stars former Bond girl Olga Kurylenko and Star Trek star Chris Pine.

Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan aims to win over global audiences with an international version of his upcoming action-thriller Don 2: The Chase Continues, set to release in December 2011. Reportedly, musical numbers will be eliminated and melodrama tempered for the version shown to moviegoers outside India. Don 2 is directed by Farhan Akhtar, who also helmed the first installment Don: The Chase Begins Again (2006), a box-office hit and a remake the 1978 Hindi cult classic Don, starring Amitabh Bachchan. In the upcoming sequel, the main character Don, an Indian mob boss, sets out to take control of the European underworld. The film was shot in Berlin, Germany. Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Boman Irani, and Om Puri will reprise their roles from the 2006 film; Lara Dutta and Kunal Kapoor will play new characters; Hrithik Roshan will make a cameo appearance. Don 2 will compete globally with the fourth installment of the Mission Impossible series, which releases one week before Don 2. Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor plays a villain in the Tom Cruise-starrer.