By Jayshree Bajoria, Researcher, Mumbai bureau, 27 July 2004

Bombay, now named Mumbai, is becoming synonymous with Bollywood and even the BBC is caught up in it.

My first surprise came in the form of a star wedding I was asked to cover soon after I joined the organisation nine months ago. Uninvited reporters, photographers and cameramen hung outside the gates inside a narrow lane which couldn’t accommodate two Mercedes coming from opposite directions.

It was the cars that clogged up the lane as stars, industrialists, socialites and politicians made their way inside while security guards helped them push through the sea of cameramen and reporters.

Well, I survived – only to cringe at each new request to set up an interview with Bollywood ‘celebrities’ or to report on one more Bollywood event.

Aggressive TV channels

By the way, the celebrities don’t like the term Bollywood. Some correct you politely, others snap, and some just move on without sparing you a glance.

Legend has it that the term was coined by none other than a BBC man decades ago. But Bollywood (sorry, I’ll use it one last time) insiders hate it and think it derogatory and sarcastic. They prefer the term Indian film industry.

So, besides the run-in with these ‘stars’, the going is usually smooth (read hectic but exciting) in this small bureau with two of us on the editorial desk. The office is a BBC Worldwide one with all the other staff employed to sell airtime, do research and schedule advert spots on BBC World.

It is this face of the BBC that is most recognised here, where people generally show little interest in radio. Faces fall and requests are rejected when I tell interviewees that their contribution is for radio. In a country full of aggressive tv channels, people care less about its unglamorous cousin.

Working in Mumbai means living life in the fast lane and no, I don’t just mean partying hard after working six, sometimes seven days a week, 12 hours on average.

The studio is jinxed

I’m referring to doing research, reporting for English, Hindi and Urdu language services, reporting for radio and online, answering queries and fixing up studio guests for other outlets as well as assisting visiting teams and taking care of admin.

But working late means I miss the infamous bumper to bumper traffic which enables me to drive home at a speed above 10 kms/h and enjoy the beautifully lit up ‘queen’s necklace’ – the Marine Drive promenade. It’s a sight that makes it worth living in this city, which is heading for a collapse if you believe the environmentalists.

If you go to the slums of Dharavi (another favourite place with journalists besides a film set) you would believe every word written about the imminent death of Mumbai.

But we share the city’s upbeat spirit, except on a bad technical day. Oh, didn’t I tell you, the studio is jinxed or maybe it’s me. The ISDN connection loves playing tricks on us, we don’t have a sat phone or ENPS, and the server crashes frequently enough to catch up on films.

It’s the Bollywood city after all.

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