Wednesday 21 July will witness launch of the Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture (MACIC) Film Club, an initiative which will see monthly screenings of Indian films, including the Bollywood productions.

The inaugurating evening will include screening of the film Fan, a Bollywood blockbuster starring Shah Rukh Khan that will precede a discussion about the movie and Indian cinema moderated by Nadia Jereidini, Vice President of the Egypt-Indian Friendship Association.

According to MACIC, 'Fan' is the story of Gaurav, a young man who resembles the mega movie star Aryan Khanna. Both roles are played by Indian super star Shah Rukh Khan.

"From the by lanes of Delhi, young Gaurav embarks on a journey to the city of dreams, Mumbai, in order to pray to his God on his birthday. When things don't go according to plan, Gaurav's love and passion for his God turns in to a dangerous obsession that crosses the fine line."

Released in April 2016, the film has become one of the blockbusters of Indian commercial cinema. 

Just like most Bollywood productions, film 'Fan' is rich in visuals and music composed by Vishal-Shekhar with lyrics written by Varun Grover.

With the MACIC Film Club, the Indian Embassy makes a step forward a large scores of the Egyptian fans who follow Bollywood productions, Indian actors and directors.

The cultural links between India and Egypt are among the most visible relations in cultural spheres; Indian films, as well as all other Indian art forms find many followers across the country.

This link is emphasised by the India by the Nile Festival, which this year held its fourth edition, spreading India's arts across many Egyptian cities. The most recent festival included classical dance, exhibitions, musical performances, yoga, cuisine, and other events. The festival always includes a segment dedicated to Indian cinema with screenings of films featuring a chosen actor or director.

Naturally, to many Egyptians, Bollywood is one of the most shining gems as Indian stars are welcomed with frenzy by local fans. One only has to recall Amitabh Bachchan's visit to Cairo  in 2015 when thousands of fans tried to appear in locations that hosted the mega star. Equally, Bollywood dance performances and workshops, held mainly during India by the Nile, find a large following.

In 2013, on an initiative of then-Indian Ambassador to Egypt Navdeep Suri, Chennai Express, starring Deepika Padukone and Shah Rukh Khan, was screened in eight cinemas in Cairo and Alexandria. The initiative -- which paralleled the world-wide celebrations of the centennial anniversary of India's rich cinematic history -- aimed also to bring back Indian films to Egypt's main stream movie theatres, a practice that was popular until late 1980s.

The release of Chennai Express was followed by screenings of films such as Krissh 3, starring Hrithik Roshan, and Dhoom 3, starring Aamir Khan, among others.

On a smaller scale, there have been many screenings of Indian films not limited only to Bollywood productions.

Many of such events were held in the MACIC premises when the centre was still located in downtown Cairo. Though the practice has been suspended when the centre was moved to its new location at Abu El Feda St. in Zamalek in February 2015, the new cinema club is now being revived by the Indian Ambassador to Egypt, Sanjay Bhattacharyya, and the Second Secretary of Culture and MACIC Acting Director, Rakesh Kawra.    

With the launch of the MACIC Film Club, the Indian Embassy looks forward to establishing regular screenings and discussions of Indian movies, with films representing a variety of sectors of India's cinema world, including the increasingly popular Bollywood films.

The club inauguration and screening of 'Fan' willl take place on Wednesday 21 July at 6pm at MACIC premises (2nd floor, 3 Abu El Feda St., Zamalek)

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