Bollywood night brings joy to ‘hearts, eyes and ears’ in Amman

AMMAN — With the aim of spreading joy and sharing culture and traditions, the first Bollywood Night was held at a cinema in Amman on Thursday.

An Indian romantic drama, “Prem Ratan Dhan Payo” (Found a treasure called love) was screened at the event, which was organised by garment manufacturer United Creations LLC in cooperation with the Indian embassy and the Ministry of Tourism. 

India’s Ambassador to Jordan Shubhdarshini Tripathi said Jordan and India share a very old relationship, adding that the key factor to improving bilateral relations is people-to-people contact.

“Bollywood films have played a major role in that [intercultural communication], because as soon as I arrived here, everyone wanted to watch a Bollywood film. They kept asking when we were going to screen one,” the ambassador told The Jordan Times.

The Bollywood Night, she said, is a “stepping stone” to improve cultural and social relations and hold more cultural activities.

“The films produced by Bollywood are known to impart happiness and entertain viewers. They also reflect the values, culture, traditions, colours and diversity of India,” Tripathi added.

Tourism Minister Lina Annab said the event would contribute to fruitful cooperation between both countries.

“It’s the beginning of a series of activities that we will be doing with the Indian embassy… Film is a very nice way to transport people without actually travelling; Bollywood is the perfect vehicle for that,” she told The Jordan Times.

“When we hear about Bollywood we think of happiness, and what is greater than bringing joy to people’s hearts, eyes and ears?… Indian culture and Bollywood specifically… is something we cherish and appreciate,” Annab added.

There are several other programmes, she said, that promote cooperation between Jordan and India in the field of tourism. “We still have huge room for improvement, but… where we stand today is a very excellent place to start from.”

She added that India is one of the important tourist markets for Jordan.