The bride in her glittering red sari was carried into the ballroom in a palanquin held aloft by four burly Westerners dressed in turbans. As the gathered guests watched, the bridegroom came forward to claim his bride and the couple walked to the stage. Standard wedding fare you’d say – except both the bride and bridegroom were children!
A child marriage taking place in New York?
Well yes – only it’s a reel wedding and not a real wedding! Avika Gori who plays Anandi, a 13-year-old child bride in the very popular television serial ‘Balika Vadhu’ and Avinash Mukherjee, who plays Jagdish, her spouse, had been flown in for the launch of Aapka Colors, the US version of Viacom 18 Media’s popular Hindi channel which will make its debut in the US on Dish Network.
The event was held at the Marriott Hotel in Manhattan and was emceed by actress Pooja Kumar.
Increasingly east and west are meeting in the entertainment world, with many collaborations happening between Hollywood and Bollywood. In fact, Viacom 18 which has brought Aapka Colors to the US is a joint venture between Viacom Inc. and Network 18, which is a major player in India.
Knowing the Diaspora’s deep devotion to Bollywood, the company has chosen the perfect brand ambassador for Aapka Colors – Amitabh Bachchan. Although he could not be there in person, he was there, larger than life on the screen, talking directly to the guests, with his enigmatic eyes and deep baritone. Needless to say, there was pin-drop silence when he spoke!
In the early years there was absolutely nothing desi to watch and from famine it’s now become a feast with several channels providing the best Bollywood movies, serials and sports from India. Aapka Colors plans to bring in addictive fare like Balika Vadhu, National Bingo Night and Naa Aana Iss Des Laado – shows which are already engrossing family members in India. There will be no lag in the telecasts, so mothers and daughters will be watching the same episodes on two continents. More and more, New York seems to be turning into an Indian city!
