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Bollywood bike party in San Jose [San Jose Mercury News](San Jose Mercury News (CA) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Sept. 28--SAN JOSE -- Bollywood came to town through a sold-out concert at SAP Center, but anyone without a ticket could have enjoyed a pleasing sampling of the Indian film industry's revelry. On Sunday morning, dozens of bicyclists cruised around downtown to the tunes from the soundtrack to "Slumdog Millionaire," the 2008 Academy Award-winning film that introduced millions of Americans to Indian cinema. "I didn't know a lot about Bollywood, but I loved the music on the ride," said Sara Heineke of San Jose. "It's fun to learn about other cultures." Organized by San Jose Bike Party, a kind of underground network of cyclists that emerged in 2007 to surprise motorists and police officers with lively nighttime rides, Sunday's Bollywood ride was also dedicated to Pune, India, one of San Jose's sister cities. Bollywood is the name for the Hindi-language film industry based in the city of Mumbai, formerly Bombay. Like American musicals of the 1940s and 1950s, Bollywood films have tended to be melodramatic or romantic with long and elaborately choreographed dances breaking out in the middle of thin plots. However, according to the Cultures of Economic Migration journal, Western popular culture and the Indian Diaspora in English-speaking countries have pushed Bollywood closer to Hollywood scripts. For example, the breakout dance scene in "Slumdog Millionaire," essentially a movie about social strife in India, doesn't appear until the end. Sold out SAP According to Kim Walesh, San Jose's economic development director, City Hall and Bike Party were working on bringing city officials from another sister city -- Guadalajara, Mexico -- for a ride in San Jose to promote cycling in both cities. As the Guadalajara talks bogged down, San Jose officials noticed that a Bollywood extravaganza, "Slam, the Tour," had sold out at SAP arena. The concert featured some of Bollywood's top actors, singers and dancers. "Bollywood is much bigger than Hollywood," Walesh said just before jumping on her bike for the ride. "These people made 1,000 movies last year." The City Council quickly declared "Bollywood Week" in San Jose. In another event Saturday, hundreds of people attended a free children's fashion show and Bollywood dance festival at Plaza de Cesar Chavez Park. However, the vast majority of 75 or so cyclists Sunday were not Indo-Americans. City Councilman Ash Kalra, who is of Indian background, said the largely immigrant community in San Jose could easily be introduced to cycling. "Indians like to walk, like to hike," he said. "You see them out there every weekend. Good outreach by the biking community will help." Musical cycles Bollywood soundtracks are usually festive, rhythmic and loud, a mixture made for biking as well as for dance. Bike Party member Enrique Alonso had heard the music only in passing. Still, the Mexican immigrant knew what to do with it. The professional disc jockey also rides one of Bike Party's official "music bikes." These are special cargo bicycles loaded with 250 pounds of components and speakers. The bikes are equipped with wireless technology that allows them to play the same tune played from a single cell phone or MP3 player. On Bike Party's regular monthly rides, up to eight, wireless music bikes can keep thousands of cyclists pedaling to the same beat. Alonso was on the lead music bike on Sunday. All ears were on him. "Bollywood is pretty cool music," Alonso said after the ride. "I really like it!" Contact Joe Rodriguez at 408-920-5767. Follow him at Twitter.com/joerodmercury. ___ (c)2014 the San Jose Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.) Visit the San Jose Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.) at www.mercurynews.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |