Today, over 2,000 Melburnians and visitors to the city gathered at the banks of the leafy Yarra River at the Moomba Cultural Centre to dance their way into the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS for the "Largest Bollywood Dance' attempt. There was much celebration and tears and hugs all around once the record was successfully broken.
Cheered on by thousands of revellers from all over the world, and from all walks of life, the huge crowd danced Australia into the record books to the chart busting hit 'Munni Badnaam Hui', led by Munni ( Malaika Arora Khan ) herself. Bollywood and Beyond 2011 was supported by Moomba and Shiamak Davar International.
Fans both young and old and from all walks of life also gathered at the iconic location to photograph and catch a glimpse of Bollywood sweetheart Malaika Arora Khan - the guest of honour at the event.
Malaika Arora Khan says, "Honestly I think it will be something I'll always remember. It's one of the most amazing moments of my life, both for being so far away from home but feeling the enthusiasm and love from the crowd and for the sheer magnitude of the event. The atmosphere was so much fun and exciting with everyone waiting with baited breath to see if we'd broken the record or not. The Indian Film Festival did a tremendous job organising the event so a big thank you to them and to the Melbourne dancers who made it happen."
Prior to the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS attempt, would be record-breakers practiced their moves through watching specially choreographed dance steps videos uploaded onto YouTube and the IFF website.
The record was set up in conjunction with the 2011 Indian Film Festival: Bollywood & Beyond (IFF). It is one of a series of events lined up to celebrate the return of this successful festival, the first which ran in Melbourne in autumn last year.
This year's IFF features over 30 films including 15 Australian premieres in a program celebrating traditional Bollywood sequins and fantasy, and also demonstrates the depth of contemporary Indian film.
India is one of Victoria's fastest growing inbound tourism markets generating more than 51,800 visitors over 2009 to 2010. The Australian Tourism Forecasting Committee estimate an 8.2% average annual growth rate in inbound tourism from India to Australia between 2010 and 2020, and the total visitors from India to Australia is forecast to increase to 318,000 for the year 2020.
Access between the regions is also getting easier with several major airlines flying directly to Melbourne.
The cosmopolitan capital of Victoria, Melbourne is well known for its friendly residents, cultural creativity, fine wine and dining, and world-class facilities for leisure and business tourists, who pump AUD$15.8 billion into the economy each year.
The compact city prides itself on its arts and culture, chic cafes, bars and restaurants, hidden laneways, shopping and fashion, sporting events and multiculturalism. It has a total population of around four million people.
Apart from being a great place to visit, an independent international study has again listed Melbourne as one of the most liveable cities in the world.
The 2011 national liveability survey, conducted by the London-based Economist Intelligence Unit, ranked Melbourne the second most liveable city in the world taking over Vienna (Austria) from last year, with a rating of 97.5. Melbourne edged out several Australian competitors, with Sydney maintaining seventh position and Perth and Adelaide similarly on equal eighth.
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