KANK in Amsterdam
Being a Bollywood fan in Germany is not always easy. Either movies like Fanaa do not run at all in German cinemas or their start dates are unknown. With Fanaa we successfully tested the backup capacity Amsterdam. As the world-wide starting date for KANK approached and dates for Germany were not yet announced by rem (Rapideyemovies), emergency plans were framed and we (two friends and I) decided to undertake the 200 km long trip to Amsterdam. At this moment we didn’t mind that the film was shown with Dutch and not with English subtitles. We booked tickets for the showing at 4 p.m.. The showing in the evening was sold out and the midday-showing was also well attended. When we watched the film, about three quarters of the seats were taken. Nearly 95 % of the visitors were Indians. Trailers of “Kabul Express” and “Dhoom 2” were shown. When the film started and Rani appeared a part of the male audience howled and whistled. Comic scenes were rewarded with lots of laughter. When Preity slapped SRK, my neighbour clapped. Due to the missing intermission (the scene, where the intermission was cut off, was obvious), few spectators used the songs for a visit at the washrooms. At the end of the film the audience applauded.For us the trip to Amsterdam was absolutely worthwhile.
By the way, we were not the only crazy Germans who drove to Amsterdam. While we were waiting for admission, two German women were leaving the previous show.
August 24th, 2006 at 6:34 pm
Thanks, Bastet, for Sharing this driving experience with us. Crazy, we fans, aren’t we. Whats the craziest you’ve done for bollywood? me has nothing yet done any crazy thing - buying a beamer or making some webpage isn’t crazy enough, isn’t it?
August 24th, 2006 at 8:59 pm
Crazy? Naah. Just dedicated
I don´t think what I did so far “for” my Bollywood obsession can´t be counted as crazy. At least not if you compare it to my Rick Springfield fandom. Or did anybody else plan their honeymoon according to his tourdates in the US?
August 24th, 2006 at 9:26 pm
ähm, who the hell is rick springfield?
August 25th, 2006 at 1:47 pm
Oh, this trip sounds fun! I wish the cinema where I saw KANK had more people, no one applauded or whistled or anything like that
August 27th, 2006 at 11:51 pm
Sounds like a fantastic trip! I don’t think I’ve ever had to cross national borders to watch a movie - hasn’t happened just yet, but it might! Sounds like a fantastic trip though.
I saw KANK sitting in a fairly crowded hall, where about 40% of the crowd was middle eastern, about 50% were Indian, and the rest were other nationalities. We were sitting next to an Iranian couple (they claimed it was their first Bollywood movie, but later the husband admitted that it was the first Hindi movie they’d seen in a cinema). The lady had a deep throated laugh, that she wasn’t scared to let loose at the worst joke, but as soon as the emotional tensions surfaced, I peeked out of the corner of my eye and found the married guys holding onto each other, the wife sniffling softly ever so often….
Met a friend last night flying through London, who was in NYC when KANK was being filmed. She explained how she’d been desperately trying to get the role of an extra in the movie, but Karan is apparently a tough as nails guy when it comes to production - not the soft, fluffy pushover you’d expect!
Aah - Bollywood.
Michael, you should try flying out to London if you can’t find the movies in Germany. Long live EasyJet!
August 27th, 2006 at 11:52 pm
PS Rick Springfield is a somewhat jaded old singing sensation from the late seventies, early 80s…I had the misfortune of having an elder sister who was a total teenaged groupie of his. His bad hairdos remain burnt into my brain…
August 28th, 2006 at 5:13 am
Thanks, The Buddha Smiled, to help me out of not knowing rick springfield *gg
Seeing Bollywood in Cinema is - as ever seeing movies - more fun. The Buddha Smiled, where have you watched it which such a 40-50-10 crowd?
August 28th, 2006 at 1:25 pm
Hey Michael,
I live & work in London (have been in the UK now for three years) so my Bollywood viewing when I’m not back in India is limited to what plays in town here. I saw KANK in London as well, in a slightly eccentric old shopping mall called Whiteley’s, which is located close to Paddington. The area has a lot of Arabs, many of whom live around Queensway and also Edgeware Road, but its also central enough to attract a lot of the Indian community who live in Central London (like me). I wrote about my KANK experiences (as well as other Bollywood experiences) on my blog - take a look for more information.
August 29th, 2006 at 10:18 am
Hey!
I know how you feel! I have never even been to the cinema to see a bollywood movie in Australia! It majorly blows! What i find amazing though is the fact you went to a whole other COUNTRY to see a film! That is mindblowing to a girl living on an island that is it’s own continent! I can’t wait to go to India and see a movie in a cinema, there’s somehting about the atmosphere and watching it with likeminded people that just completely raises the experience!
-Amy
August 29th, 2006 at 12:53 pm
hi amy, welcome to bollywoodbloggers.com. there is no one from australia in our team, so you’re welcome to participate or write your australian bollywood experience here.
also read beth article about cinema in india - its not ever so funny as we see in filmis. of course its different, but not as much as we think it is.
hi, buddha, thanks for answers. i’ll read it at your blog, promised. thanks for reminding.
August 29th, 2006 at 9:47 pm
Wow…. I didn’t knew bollywood movies didn’t run in germany at times. hehe, you really had a tough time!
August 30th, 2006 at 12:23 pm
Moore: Read this article about the reasons KANK not in german cinemas
October 11th, 2006 at 5:18 pm
You drove all the way to watch KANK in Amsterdam?
Crazy! If you had waited, you could have seen it on DVD.
Anyways, “DON” coming on 20th Oct 2006. Watching in Amsterdam or Germany?
Punds
July 12th, 2007 at 2:13 pm
Where can one watch Bollywood movies in Amsterdam???
September 12th, 2007 at 10:37 pm
college board sat prep classes…
college board sat prep classes…