Qureshi and her mother, who is of Pakistani heritage, joined hundreds of
others eager to snap photos of movie stars as they arrived at the Tampa
airport and walked the industry's signature green carpet.
Fans were so excited at the arrival of actress Deepika Padukone hat they knocked over a security barrier.
Other celebrities taking part in the event include American actors John
Travolta and Kevin Spacey as well as Anil Kapoor, best known to U.S.
audiences for his 2008 role in "Slumdog Millionaire," and Shah Rukh
Khan, an actor who has more than 7.4 million followers on Twitter.
The star sightings have created a buzz, but perhaps more exciting to
local officials is the potential economic impact of hosting the awards
as well as the prospect of building stronger business, cultural and
tourism ties with India.
This week's event is expected to bring 30,000 visitors and $11 million in revenue, organizers said.
It also will lay the groundwork for longer-term opportunities with
business owners who attend, said Tampa cardiologist Kiran Patel, the
event's biggest private backer.
"Ultimately this is not a four-day event," said Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn. "This is a multi-decade relationship."
The $2 billion Indian film industry has a wide global reach and produces
more movies each year than Hollywood, though the U.S. film industry
generates five times more revenue, according to the Tampa Bay Times
The film academy's decision to come to the United States, and
particularly Tampa, is credited in part to the strength of the city's
Indian-American community, which numbers more than 23,500 people.
The effects of the community's organization and growth can be seen
throughout the Tampa Bay area where several large movie houses show
Bollywood films.
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