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Bollywood meets American Idol in a new independent film about the South Asian immigrant community in New Jersey. Loins of Punjab Presents, by first-time writer director Manish Acharya, stars veteran Indian actress and political activist Shabana Azmi alongside a line-up of upcoming young actors. According to Acharya, the film covers “issues of belonging, of defining home, and of self-image. The plot revolves around a Bollywood style singing contest, sponsored by a pork industrialist millionaire, over a weekend at a hotel in New Jersey, complete with aspiring singers, a gay bhangra rapper, and a Jewish American lover of Indian culture.

GUEST: Shabana Azmi, veteran bollywood actress and political activist.

For more information, visit www.loinsofpunjab.com.

Loins of Punjab opened Friday, November 7 in Greater Los Angeles & San Diego at:

* Downtown LA, ImaginAsian Center
* Los Angeles, Regent Showcase Theater
* Fallbrook, Laemmle Fallbrook
* Irvine, Regal Edwards Westpark 8
* Lakewood, Naz 8 Cinema
* San Diego, Gaslamp Pacific Theatre