The
UK
is
at
the
start
of
an
Indian
summer,
with
all
things
Bollywood
beguiling
Britain
over
the
coming
months.
At
the
forefront
of
Hindi
film
in
her
home
country,
is
writer
and
academic
Jessica
Hines.
After
the
success
of
'Looking
for
the
Big
B:
Bollywood,
Bachchan
and
me',
Jessica
has
been
in
attendance
at
the
IIFA
awards
and
the
British
Academy
of
Film&Television
Arts
(BAFTA)
honoring
of
Amitabh
Bachchan.
Hines,
a
frequent
visitor
to
India
who
was
reportedly
associated
with
Bollywood
actor
Aamir
Khan,
talks
to
Steven
Baker
on
her
views
on
the
Big
B,
the
response
to
her
book
in
both
the
countries
and
her
love
for
Bollywood.
You
have
traveled
to
India
29
times,
would
you
consider
living
in
India
permanently?
I
love
living
in
India
but
it
only
works,
to
my
mind,
if
you
have
a
specific
job
to
do
there.
There
was
a
point
where
I
thought
I
would
be
living
there
more
than
London
but
that
didn't
pan
out.
Where
did
your
interest
in
Hindi
Film
begin?
It
began
in
earnest
at
SOAS
(The
School
of
Oriental
And
African
Studies).
I
was
very
earnest.
You
have
been
responsible
for
bringing
Bollywood
into
the
public
consciousness
in
the
UK,
with
events
like
film
festivals
and
Selfridges
department
store
Bollywood
month.
When
do
you
think
Bollywood
'arrived' in
the
UK?
Well
its
funny,
I
wonder
how
much
quicker
Hindi
films
would
have
wooed
the
UK
audiences
had
video
not
made
its
huge
impact
on
the
Indian
community.
Remember
that
almost
overnight
the
number
of
cinemas
showing
Hindi
films
went
from
almost
100
to
0.
It
wasn't
until
the
early
1990s
that
film
culture
started
to
inch
its
way
out
of
the
Indian
communities
living
rooms
again.
I
think
it
started
to
kick
off
again
at
the
end
of
the
90s.
You
launched
your
book
earlier
this
year.
What
has
been
the
response
to
it?
Has
the
response
been
different
in
the
UK
compared
to
India?
Well
in
India
the
response
was
a
bit
nuts.
But
that
was
more
because
of
my
personal
life
and
the
fact
that
I
had
finally
completed
this
book,
than
about
the
book
itself.
The
UK
is
being
its
uniquely
insular
self
and
hasn't
picked
up
on
the
fact
that
I
have
a
certain
notoriety
in
India,
which
is
a
very
bizarre
thing.
What
was
the
most
difficult
thing
about
writing
the
book?
Being
a
single
mum
with
a
small
baby
and
no
money?
Oh
that's
three.
When
was
the
last
time
you
met
Amitabh
Bachchan?
We
just
missed
each
other
in
Mumbai
and
London.
I
spoke
to
him
a
couple
of
weeks
ago
though
when
he
called
to
congratulate
me
on
my
engagement.
What
do
you
think
of
Amitabh's
recent
performances
in
his
recent
releases
Kabhi
Alvida
Naa
Kehna,
Baabul,
Eklavya:
The
Royal
Guard,
Nishabd,
Cheeni
Kum?
I
think
that
he
is
growing
with
the
variety
of
roles
that
he
is
taking
on
now.
Sometimes
you
would
think
that
he
could
just
mail
in
a
performance
but
I
know
that
each
shot
is
thought
about
and
planned
and
worked
on.
All
actors
have
to
constantly
find
the
feelings
over
again
or
they
fail
as
an
actor.
Is
Amitabh
more
popular
in
the
UK
or
the
US?
I
think
the
UK
although
the
sell-out
performances
and
events
that
the
NY
Film
Festival
a
couple
of
years
ago
show
that
there
is
a
big
fan
following
and
a
growing
awareness.
There
is
very
little
mention
of
Abishek
Bachchan
in
the
book.
How
do
you
feel
he
compares
to
his
father?
He
is
an
interesting
actor
and
an
exceptionally
nice
man.
I
think
it
is
going
to
be
very
interesting
to
watch
him
develop.
The
Bachchans
all
take
time
to
become
what
they
are
meant
to
be.
Amitabh
did
and
so
did
his
later
father.
In
the
UK,
Indian
film
stars
are
able
to
enjoy
a
certain
degree
of
anonymity.
How
hard
is
it
to
be
a
celebrity
of
Amitabh
Bachchan's
status
in
India?
I
think
it
is
an
insanely
difficult
thing.
As
Salman
Rushdie
said,
I
don't
know
how
he
remains
sane.
As
a
western
woman
and
an
academic
on
Hindi
Film,
what
is
your
perception
of
the
portrayal
of
goras
in
Bollywood?
It
is
limited
but
that
is
expected.
It
is
also
limited
in
Hollywood.
Villains
or
fops
or
loveable
cockney
rogues.
Finally,
what
is
your
favourite
Hindi
film?
My
favourite
Hindi
film
is
Amar
Akbar
Anthony.