Even today the mention of Raj Kapoor’s name lights up many a Kazakh face so does yesteryear actors Mithun Chakraborty and Jeetendra, who enjoy more popularity than present-day Bollywood icons Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai. Bollywood classics and family dramas are very much in demand in the central Asian country even after years of their release. People do not get a chance to see new releases because of distribution hassles.Most of the films are available in VCD and DVD formats in almost all music shops.

In most of them, there is a separate row for Bollywood films, all dubbed in Russian and local languages.There is also a special 24-hour television channel named “Indian” which is beamed across the country. It telecasts Bolywood films, music and events related to the Hindi movie industry.Raj Kapoor is our all-time favourite. Kazakhs love his acting. The family bonding and social message in India films appeal very much to us,” Batyr of the Uighur Music and Drama Theatre at the NauryzBai Batyr Street here, said.

He also loves films of Jeetendra and Rishi Kapoor.”I watched ‘Bobby’ (starring Rishi and Dimple Kapadia) many times,” Batyr said.