'Indian Splendour' will introduce Indian film talent to their counterparts in Los Angeles. So what if they didn't manage anything at the Oscars, it's been a year dominated by 'Rang De Basanti' and 'Lage Raho Munna Bhai' and 'Water'.

But that's not all. Many other Indian films under the shadow of the Big Three have also been noticed and appreciated internationally. 2006 has really seen the coming of age of Bollywood, a genre of films which is still largely unknown to the outside world. The attention it is gaining is also picking up momentum, and that is the happiest news.

The International Indian Film Awards hosted in various countriues outside India has done its bit to popularise Bollywood. Now comes a 6-day extravaganza called 'Indian Splendour' which will add power to Bollywood's international ambitions by introducing Hollywood to the cream of actors and filmmakers from the Indian subcontinent.

'Indian Splendour' kicks off on August 10 and is being co-presented by UCLA Film School and Modi Corporation. The idea was born earlier this year after the screening of Vidhu Vinod Chopra's other film, directed by himself, 'Eklavya - The Royal Guard' at the Billy Wilder Theatre. And Chopra is understandably pleased.

"Now that they know who we are and our kind of movies, it opens up a new communication channel between us," Vidhu Vinod Chopra is quoted as having said to a Mumbai newspaper.

"One of the biggest advantages of such festivals abroad is that it is creating more awareness of our movies in the foreign land. With such promotion of Indian cinema, our markets are widening. Slowly, we are looking at a very huge market."

This expansion of market, according to Chopra, will give a tremendous boost to the perpetually beleagured film industry. He foresees a much required rise in movie budgets, which will give these filmmakers more money to pump into their films which should correspondingly see a rise in quality. - (SAMPURN)