The organisers of New Zealand’s biggest Diwali festival are bringing some of Bollywood’s biggest blockbusters back to the big screen as part of the celebration this year.
Tataki Auckland Unlimited has teamed up with Forum Films, the country’s biggest distributor of Bollywood movies, to turn the BNZ Diwali festival into a hub of nostalgia and celebration.
From October 14-20, Event Cinemas Queen Street will transport you back to the golden age of Indian cinema. Each movie will be screened more than once. Tickets are priced just $15 and with seating limited to 100 per screening, these showings will fill up fast. You can book your tickets here.
Whether you remember watching these films with your parents on an old VHS or cramming into packed theatres back in India, these screenings promise to rekindle those cherished memories.
Right at the top of the list is ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’, the Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol-starrer that changed the course of Indian cinema forever. Whether you’ve watched it a hundred times or it's your first, it's impossible not to get swept away by Raj and Simran’s love story.
Next up is ‘Chak De! India’, the ultimate underdog sports drama starring King Khan that gave us goosebumps and filled us with pride.
The third epic coming to Auckland is Ranveer and Anushka-starrer ‘Band Baaja Baaraat’, the vibrant world of weddings and romance, packed with unforgettable songs and larger-than-life moments.
You will also get to watch Saif and Preity’s ‘Hum Tum’, the modern-day romance with all the wit, drama, and charm that made Bollywood rom-coms a genre of their own.
For Auckland’s Indian diaspora, this is more than just a movie marathon. It’s a celebration of culture, community, and the beloved stories that shaped so many childhoods. Who can forget huddling around the TV with the whole family, feeling every emotion from joy to heartbreak as Bollywood weaved its spell?