Bollywood NYC is a documentary project celebrating a diverse community that finds joy,
self-expression and belonging through Bollywood dance.

The project explores the diaspora, the concept of what it means to be American in 2026, and dance as a transformative experience. Over the course of a decade, the filmmaking team embedded themselves in classes, rehearsals, performance prep and show days, profiling multiple dancers, schools and troupes.

 

Each chapter brings us into the dancers' lives and their work. Their dedication is astounding. On top of full lives and full-time careers, they spend hours upon hours after work and on weekends - learning, drilling and refining dances. They collaborate on building costumes, choosing the perfect nail polish color, designing programs, and every facet of production. We catch moments of the camaraderie and stress – and the last-minute feedback they give one another as they’re about to go on stage. We feel their jitters, their sweat, their pain. Which all contrasts with the beauty of the final performances.

 

The project’s first film was BETWEEN TWO WORLDS, an 8-min. short on the group Junoon which screened at over 30 film festivals, winning awards for both the film and the director.

 

The hour-long documentary SEEING SHAPES is nearly complete and is seeking finishing funds. It follows Payal Kadakia’s The Sa Dance Company through a pivotal performance as they grow from dedicated hobbyists to professional artists.

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What is Bollywood Dance? Bollywood is India's Hollywood. A signature element of Bollywood movies is their elaborate musical numbers. Bollywood dance weaves together Indian classical and folk dance with other dance styles from around the world, fusing East with West, past with pop. This art-form has leapt off the big screen and into dance studios from India to the United States.
 

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