Shah Rukh rules hearts of Tibetans

Lhasa: They may be thousands of miles away from Bollywood, but Tibetans` love for Hindi films and stars, especially Shahrukh Khan, is immeasurable.

Even in the remotest regions of Tibet, people love to dance to the Bollywood tunes and entertain themselves with Hindi films, both old and new, as DVDs of these movies are easily available in the markets here. "Tibetans enjoy Hindi films as they are full of entertainment with songs and dance numbers," says Nyimapondour, who works for the local government. She says her 11-year-old daughter is an ardent fan of Shahrukh Khan and loves to watch all his movies. Yixidanzeng, a photographer, can also sing songs from Bollywood movies. "I have been watching Bollywood movies for a long time. My family members also like to watch Shahrukh Khan`s movies." "Even in the Tibetan villages, people can be seen enjoying Bollywood movies," says Yixidanzeng, humming one of his favourite songs `aaja re mere dibar aaja, dil ki pyaas bujha ja re` from the 1979 film `Noori` that starred Poonam Dhillon and Farooque Shiekh. Zhaxiluobu, another Tibetan employed with the local government, calls Shahrukh Khan his favourite actor. "I love to dance like Shahrukh. I try to copy his steps and entertain my family and friends," says Zhaxiluobu, father of a 12-year-old son. One of his favourite Shahrukh songs is `aankhe khuli ho ya ho band, deedar unka hota hai` from the film `Mohabbatein`. Zhaxiluobu hopes to meet the star one day and tell him how much people of the remote Himalayan region of China admire him. Zhouma, a young Tibetan woman, has stored Hindi film songs in her mobile phone and says she often listen to them in her free time. "Hindi films are big entertainers and are easily available in the DVD stores. Even, small kids can be heard singing Hindi film songs in Tibet," she says. Not only Tibetans, but the Han Chinese settled in this picturesque Himalayan region also like to watch Hindi movies. Lei Chai, a 22-year-old girl who moved to Lhasa from the mainland one year ago to work as a volunteer with the local government, says she loves to watch Hindi movies. "Whenever I get a chance, I watch Hindi movies. I love them for their songs and dancing sequences," she says. Though most of the locals call themselves Shahrukh`s fans, they also like to watch movies of actors like Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Aishwarya Rai, and dream of meeting these stars one day. PTI