'The Bollywood Project' to hit festival circuit

The Bollywood Project is preparing for release on the festival circuit after four years of filming.

Directors Adam Dow and Ruchika Muchhala created the 70-minute documentary to explore beyond the glamorous facade of the Hindi cinema industry.

"The film uncovers the stories of four characters working behind the scenes in Mumbai, India's 'city of dreams'," the pair revealed.

"Their stories are of grit and perseverance as they dream big, and they change their identities to become a part of Bollywood, posing a powerful indictment of modern Indian society embodied in the world of Bollywood: a fixation on a dream to be somebody unique."

The Bollywood Project follows Australian actor Harry Key, alongside an item dancer, make-up artist and union leader.

"Interestingly, each of the characters undergoes an identity transformation as they juggle between the fantasy and reality of dreaming big and becoming a part of Bollywood," said the filmmakers.

Neha Dhupia and Malaika Arora Khan also make special appearances in the production.

Dow and Muchhala said that the project will be distributed at a range of international film festivals in 2012. Shekhar Kapur's documentary Bollywood: The Greatest Love Story Ever Told screened at Cannes in May.

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