When Vijay Shah came to the United States from India in 1985, he never expected to become a player in the field of motion pictures.
He studied mechanical engineering, received his master’s in business administration, and was earning a decent living as an engineer.
But five years ago, Shah had a friend who was distributing Indian movies, known in the trade as “Bollywood” features, in the United States for Indian-American audiences.
“He said he was in deep trouble financially, so I came on board to help him financially,” Shah said. “I just wanted to help him stabilize his business. I never thought it would lead to becoming my career.”
But it became more of a full-time commitment for Shah.
“For the business to be run the way it should be run, I had to concentrate all my efforts on the business,” Shah said.
Shah went from being a successful engineer to an Indian theater manager, practically overnight.
Shah’s business, called Cinevision, played Indian movies in North Bergen, first at the now-closed theater next to the Pathmark on Tonnelle Avenue and 69th Street, and for the last two years at the Cinema 12 Cineplaza on the lower level of the Columbia Park Shopping Center on Kennedy Boulevard.
Shah shared the 12-screen facility with the regular American movies, which were second-run discount movies at the complex. Financial and real estate reasons But everything came to a halt at the North Bergen Cinema 12 earlier this month when Shah’s lease at the theater expired. He was able to complete the weekend of July 1, but by July 2, “Bollywood” movies were a thing of the past in North Bergen.
It was a combination of events that led to the demise of the movies. For one, Shah is embroiled in a partnership dispute with a former business associate, one that will more than likely end up in court.
Another is that the landlord, Forest City Ratner, run by New Jersey Nets principal owner Bruce Ratner, eventually plans to build a 29-story, 400-unit complex at the site of the theater – but Shah insists those plans had nothing to do with the end of showing his films.
One other factor is that the management company that leases the theater, Interstate Theater Management, wanted to move away from featuring second-run discount films at the theater and show first-run new movies there.
So the days of the $2 ticket at Cinema 12 went out the door, along with the “Bollywood” flicks.
Loss to community
The loss of the “Bollywood” movies has left a huge void for the Indian-American community that came to see them.
“This became a social setting, a meeting place,” Shah said. “Indian people came and met here. They came to see friends and relatives. Once a week, they came here and got together for good entertainment.”
Now, if an Indian-American wants to see a “Bollywood” flick, they have to travel to Manhattan, Edison or New Brunswick.
Harish Naik is the president of the Hudson County Indian-American Association. He is also a North Bergen resident and was an avid moviegoer.
“I think everyone is just shocked,” Naik said. “Now that the theater is closed, where are we going to go?”
Naik said that he was ready to organize a protest regarding the closing, but Shah talked him out of it.
“I had to calm them down,” Shah said.
Huge numbers
With more than 5,000 people of Indian descent living in North Bergen and another 8,000 or so more in nearby Jersey City, there was a demand for the Indian motion pictures.
“We had a very cordial and good working agreement,” Shah said. “We had six theaters on the first floor and they had six theaters on the second floor. There were never any problems.”
The total number of regular Indian moviegoers who would come to see the “Bollywood” spectaculars was astounding.
“There are usually 60 new ‘Bollywood’ movies every year,” Shah explained. “So there were usually one or two new movies every week.”
When Shahruk Khan, called “the Tom Cruise of India,” had a movie coming out, Shah was ready for the attendance numbers to skyrocket. The same can be said for fellow ‘Bollywood’ legend Abhishek Bachchan.
“They are big stars,” Shah said. “If we had one of their movies, we could get anywhere between 5,000 and 10,000 patrons per week. Yes, we outdrew the American films.”
On an average, the theater drew approximately 2,000 to 3,000 patrons a week.
Food
There were even fresh Indian snacks, like samosas, which is a mixture of smashed potatoes and vegetables in dough-like pastry, and bhel, a mixture of rice and vermicelli.
“Sure, they liked popcorn, too,” Shah said. “But they also loved the Indian snacks.”
‘We all looked forward to those movies ‘
Some of North Bergen’s Indian-American community was stunned when they heard the news.
“I really don’t know what we’re going to do now,” said Paresh Patel, a North Bergen resident for 22 years. “We all looked forward to those movies. We planned our weekends around the movies. I don’t think I can afford to go to New York and I don’t want to go to Central Jersey.”
“I think we all want the movies to stay,” said Haral Patel (who has no relation to Paresh). “It gave us our own identity here. It gave us a sense of pride that we had something of our own.”
It’s also a gigantic industry in the United States. With DVD sales, “Bollywood” movies gross annually in an excess of $40 billion worldwide and $500 million here.
Shah has to wait and see what transpires with his legal dispute with his partner before he can plan his next move.
“Right now, I’m taking a break,” Shah said. “I’m tying up loose ends and I’m wrapping up some business.”
Shah returned to the theater Saturday, and the theater manager was happy to see him again.
“Vijay brought a lot of people to the theater,” said George Cano, the theater manager and a North Bergen resident. “He was very helpful and we had a good relationship. He’s a good businessman and a good man. I learned a lot from him.”
“I fear for the trade,” Shah said. “In absence of having a good clean facility to see the movies, I think [film] piracy may run rampant. People might not want to travel as far to have fun. I feel bad for the community. My heart reaches out to them. Maybe one day, I can come back stronger than ever.”
But for now, the Indian-American community, some 15,000 strong in Hudson County, has no venue for their native entertainment.
Jim Hague can be reached via e-mail at either OGSMAR@aol.com or jhague@hudsonreporter.com.