Bollywood Magic Descends On Leicester Square For 'Om Shanti Om' Premiere

London’s West End was freeze framed in full Bollywood technicolor on Sunday 11 November, as the biggest name in the industry, Shah Rukh Khan, brought human traffic in Leicester Square to a gridlock, as he graced the Red Carpet at the World Premiere of 2007’s most anticipated Bollywood blockbuster release, 'Om Shanti Om', at Empire, Leicester Square.
Presented by Eros International, and the first major mainstream Bollywood release to premiere at Empire, Leicester Square, Om Shanti Om’s bedazzling opening brought movie madness to the heart of the West End, as thousands of fans and cineastes from all over the world descended upon the square and surrounding streets to catch a glimpse of King Khan, Shah Rukh, who was joined by his co-stars in the film, the sensational Bollywood debutante, Deepika Padukone, handsome hero, Arjun Rampal and rising star, Shreyas Talpade to meet and greet the star struck fans and onlooking media. Film frenzy ensued as the crowds, who had gathered since the morning despite the severe weather conditions, had to be held back by guards, having broken through the enclosing security barriers.
The release of Om Shanti Om, through leading integrated media company, Eros International, marks a turning point in the Bollywood industry’s bid for domination of the global box office. At the daytime media conference that preceded the spectacular red carpet showdown, Bollywood legend, Shah Rukh Khan said: "I want to make the first Indian film that the whole world will watch. The UK is the starting point because of the mix of cultures that you have here, with the Asians alongside the English. This premiere is very important."
Kishore Lulla, Chairman and CEO, Eros International, added: "We are looking for the Indian Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. That was a Chinese-language movie but it grossed a billion dollars internationally. The most successful Bollywood films take about $25 million at the moment, but I think in the next five years we will make that jump.
"Eros has always enjoyed a fantastic relationship with Shah Rukh Khan and we are looking forward to releasing Om Shanti Om during the festive season of Diwali. It is one of the most awaited films of the year and we are excited to be leveraging Eros’ global distribution in promoting the film."
Paying spectacular homage to the classic Bollywood formula that was inherent in the films of the 1970s, Om Shanti Om once again brings together the magical combination of screen legend, Shah Rukh Khan, and director, Farah Khan, in a cinematic extravaganza about love, dreams, betrayal and destiny. Om Shanti Om is the tale of a film actor ‘Om’ (Shah Rukh Khan) and his love interest ‘Shanti’ (Deepika Padukone), set in the glittering 1970’s Bollywood, and moving to the modern day.
Never before achieved on screen, Om Shanti Om brings together over 30 of Bollywood's hottest stars including Shilpa Shetty, Salman Khan, Rani Mukherjee, Kajol, Sanjay Dutt, Priyanka Chopra, Preity Zinta, Saif Ali Khan and many more, putting in a guest appearance in the film’s iconic title song.
(DS)