Anita Rani has exclusive access to the largest Bollywood films and stars to reveal the extraordinary stories and secrets behind the biggest film industry on earth.
The film industry employs more than a quarter of a million people in India and Anita Rani begins her journey in Mumbai – the home of Bollywood – where the stars tower over the city on enormous murals. Anita discovers just how important the movies are to everyday people at one of the oldest cinemas in Mumbai, where she quickly finds herself in the middle of a screaming mob as the stars of that night’s film make a surprise appearance.
Anita gets invited to the set of a historical film which is at the centre of a huge controversy in India. Political and religious groups have been protesting its release and the director has even received death threats, and Anita hears the incredible story behind the news headlines from the crew at the heart of it. Next she heads to a film being shot in Mumbai harbour to meet a pioneer of women’s rights in India. It was illegal for women to do make-up on film sets prior to 2015 and Anita discovers how a group of brave women won a landmark case in the Supreme Court which paved the way for female make-up artists in Bollywood.