Up close and personal with H/Bollywood

Last night we attended an evening with Ashley Judd of Hollywood fame, who is in India increasing awareness of HIV and the problems faced by the spread of the virus through the sex workers of India. The scary stat of the night is that married women in their 20's are the fastest growing group with HIV in India. Safe sex is not seen as a priority by the men, they are the ones paying they make the rules. An advertising blitz by the government both in print and TV is hoped to encourage men to take the lead in controlling the spread of HIV. The aim of the night was reached when Ashley Judd finished her speech, and the crowd was left to discuss the cause. Shaz jumped right in to talk about the possibilities and opportunities of helping in this crazy country.
The night was great fun with a few of the who's who coming out to mingle with us. The up and coming actors were there early, the Moet was flowing and the beats were blasting from the 6th floor apartment in Malabar Hill, in the ritzy part of town. We were expecting a quiet night as we were told it would be a small group of 10 or so, but by midnight the apartment was packed with Bollywood B listers with a surprise visit from three of the top Bollywood blokes. For a while it seemed like a Bollywood film or music video was being shot in the apartment. One of the latest songs from a movie was playing and the actors all took position on the dance floor for an improv version of their parts in the film. It was brilliant!
3am on a school night and the party was winding down, the police made an appearance for some pockt money, the glasses were empty and we were wondering how we'd get home... as we are still very transportation challenged. On the street outside the apartment were all the nice new cars of the stars and not a cab to be seen.. so what else could we do..? "Anyone heading to Juhu??"
The next thing we know we were shifting a bottle of Bacardi off the back seat of a brand new Lexus 4x4 which, let me tell you, is much more comfortable that the local Westren Lines train we took to get to the party. The owner Salman Khan decided he wanted to drive and there was a race through the empty Mumbai streets with a BMW 6 series convertible and a Porshe 4x4. We ended up at Salman Khan's house. Sharon and I looked at each other and thought what now..? It was my job to bring the bacardi in, so it looked like we were staying...He grabbed the Bacardi, poured a few and then showed the 3 car loads of people his new paintings.. It was a crazy night.. 4.30am now and its time to go but we couldn't leave without proof of the night..
Now the pic may not seem like much at home, but on the Bollywood social scene, Sharon is in a pic with Indian Royalty! On the left is Hirthik Roshan and on the right Shah Rukh Khan
India... full of surprises...