The Bollywood equivalent to "That's Entertainment" has been added to the out-of-competition lineup at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, Cannes organizers announced on Friday.
"Bollywood – The Greatest Love Story Ever Told" is a compilation film made up of numbers from across the history of Indian musicals. It was produced by Shekhar Kapoor and directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and Jeff Zimbalist.
Kapoor, who had made films in India but also directed the English-language costume dramas "Elizabeth" and "Elizabeth: The Golden Age," came up with the idea as a member of the Cannes jury last year and put the film together specifically for this year's festival.
The result, said a Cannes release announcing the addition, is "a swirling and poignant montage" and a film "that brings together the most beautiful moments in the history of Indian musical films, with all their moving pageantry and dance."
Said Kapoor in a Cannes release: "We love it. We hate it. We see it as regressive. We see it as modern. We need to breathe it to feel alive. Some say it is the only culture that holds India together. Some say it gives identity and individuality to 25 million Indians that have left her shores and who's [sic] third generations that are still addicted to it. That’s Bollywood!”
This year's Cannes Film Festival runs from May 11 to May 22.
