Bollywood in Lima

We decided to take it easy on our first day in Lima. We had arrived the night before, our plane a little delayed and by the time we got settled in our apartment in San Isidro, it was past two in the morning. Taking the Metro to the city centre, we decided to walk up to the Plaza San Martin (yes, San Martin has a plaza in just about every city we have been to) and to Plaza de Armas, which is impressively grand. Sunset in Lima is earlier than I expected and it started to get dark around six in the evening. So after it got dark, we people watched at the Plaza de Armas, sitting on the steps of the Cathedral de Lima, and then started to make our way back. This is when we heard Indian music coming through a door where there was a little bit of a line-up. At first, I thought I wasn't sure of what I was hearing and so I poked through the door to see what was happening inside. The place was a Chifa restaurant (how Peruvian's refer to a Chinese restaurant) and inside were people sitting around tables with treats being served to them, mostly women and some men wearing kurti and shalwar tops and Indian jewelry. At the very front, to our amusement, was their homage to Shahrukh Khan! This was the Shahrukh Khan fan club!

After Ramanan and I figured what was going on here, I asked the girl at the door if I could go in and take a few photographs, to which she nodded. So I snapped a few discrete photos from the back and stepped out. And as we started to leave, one of the organizers came out, and asked us if we were leaving. When we said yes, she replied, “That's too bad! The organizers would like you to stay.” So we changed our mind and decided to stay for the festivities. I know nothing about Shahrukh Khan so Ramanan and I discretely sat at the very back and couldn't help smiling at ourselves almost the entire time. The room was decorated with Shahrukh posters and pompoms made with the colours of the Indian flag. The event began with the organizers introducing themselves, sharing how much they love Sharukh Khan and how long they have been a fan. After that was music time! We watched music videos of some famous hits and every time Shahrukh did something special, the crowd squealed and screamed. Guests were then chosen to play trivia games and the prizes: posters of Shahrukh Khan, a collection of music videos and much more. As we watched this, we were served potato chips, cookies and other small personalized treats. The two finalists then had to dance to a song while the audience determined who was the biggest fan. Ramanan and I were really quite entertained by all of this, not at all what we expected to do in Lima on the the first night there:) Dinner was being served, a typical Peruvian dish known as Lomo Saltado, a dish of stir-fried beef served with rice and French fries. Yes, everything here also comes with fries! And the final event of the night (yes, you guessed it) a dance! No Shahrukh Khan fan club event can be complete without one. Afterwards, we thanked the organizers for welcoming us and decided to leave. This wasn't what I expected to find in Lima but was such a pleasant surprise. Who would have thought that Peruvian's watch Indian movies and love Shahrukh Khan! What a small world we live in!