Project Bollywood

Salman has big plans when Ms. Lopez, the media arts teacher, assigns a group project. He's an avid fan of Bollywood cinema, the Hindi movies made in India's equivalent to Hollywood, and he dreams of being a producer. Why not start with this class project? After all, he's watched Bollywood movies for years and is already an expert. His family's media room has all the necessary equipment. Salman has the idea for a script. All he has to do is convince his group members to go along. Jason, Arman, and Maya, Salman's three best friends, readily agree. But Natalie, the new group member, has ideas of her own.

After some smart-talking on Salman's part and clever snacks made by Ramesh, the family's majordomo who takes care of both Salman and the house when Salman's parents are away on business, the four group members agree to Salman's idea. Unfortunately, once the shooting starts, things begin to go wrong. Salman insists that everything be exactly the way he wants it, even when the others point out that his demands seem unreasonable. An outdoor dance sequence leaves Maya and Arman both soaking wet and freezing. Jason hurts his ankle during a fight scene. And Natalie constantly complains about the predictable script and stereotypical characters. When Salman continues to ignore suggestions, his entire group quits. Will they ever speak to him again? And how can he fix things? Or explain the situation to Ms. Lopez, his favourite teacher?

Project Bollywood focuses on the relationships between Salman and his friends when Salman insists on his way. The story will interest students who have their own peer tensions. Salman's decision to apologize to Ramesh, his friends, and his teacher, and the follow-up to that apology, provide valuable examples of dealing with conflict.

Note that the text describes so many meals and snacks that readers may want to have both chai tea and samosas handy when they sit down to enjoy this book.