Bollywood Star names its judges

Now that they’re set to assess a new era of Bollywood talent, the freshly minted judges of Bollywood Star are taking stock of their own careers.

“I guess we’re no longer the next cool young hot talent anymore,” said Richie Mehta, a Mississauga filmmaker who enjoyed international critical acclaim with his debut feature, Amal.

Mehta, B.C.-born dancer and actress Anita Majumdar ( Midnight’s Children) and Hamilton-raised actor Rupinder Nagra, who starred in Amal, were named on Monday as judges on Bollywood Star, a North American talent search to air on OMNI TV next spring.

Unlike talent searches such as America’s Got Talent, Bollywood Star will air in a documentary format. It will also be much more demanding on its contestants, who are competing for a chance at a role in a Bollywood film: it seeks someone who can act, dance and sing (or at least lipsync).

Bollywood Star will follow hopefuls as they take part in an intense Bollywood boot camp in Mumbai in an effort to be crowned Canada’s next big star in the genre. Open-call auditions begin in Vancouver on Sept. 21 and Toronto on Sept. 28.