Hiccup for Bollywood Rings Night
Joanne Nathan

It wasn't all right on the night at the "Bollywood" premiere of The Lord Of The Rings. About 300 guests left the New Zealand High Commission in Delhi, India, last night well fed - but without seeing The Fellowship Of The Rings because of sound problems.

Looking extremely disappointed, Trade Commissioner Peter Healy - who had helped organise the event as a showcase for all things New Zealand - could only say that it had been "working fine" at 2pm yesterday.

The audience drifted off after a hastily brought-forward dinner of traditional hobbit curry and rice, while grim-faced technical staff and the distributors regrouped in the conference room.

Outside in the compound's beautiful gardens, the giant projectors lay silent in what was to have been a picturesque outdoor setting, with braziers to keep guests warm in the Delhi winter chill.

That and "hobbit cocktails" of mulled wine served by appropriately "Middle Earth"-clad staff (though someone did express concern at all the ragged "homeless" people wandering about).

The programme had started well - and only 20 minutes late, an amazing feat in Delhi accomplished by stern admonishments for promptness on the invitation - with the raising of the Middle Earth flag by High Commissioner Caroline McDonald in the midst of a ring of fire.

The subsequent breakdown was doubly disappointing for Mr Healy as this was supposed to be the climax of his 3½-year posting in India.

He had earlier invited the audience to visit New Zealand as tourists or send their children to be educated. Indian visitors in both sectors are currently growing by about 50 per cent a year.

At least part of this he attributed to Indians "falling in love with New Zealand" through Bollywood films, with about 80 having been at least partly shot in the Antipodes.

Disappointed guests have been asked back, same place, same time and hopefully working projector, tonight.

Launch events - to be accompanied by New Zealand food served by Wellington Deputy Mayor Alick Shaw - have also been planned for Mumbai (Bombay), Bangalore and Chennai (Madras).

The film will then open nationwide in March to be shown in at least 750 centres. It will initially run in English with plans to dub it into Tamil and Hindi.