Bangkok film fest applauds Bollywood Dream Girl Hema Malini

Bangkok, July 21 (UNI) Rajya Sabha member and yesteryear Bollywood Dream-Girl Hema Malini's contribution to Indian cinema has been applauded by a special retrospective of her films at the Bangkok International Film Festival under way here.

Ms Malini was here as a special guest of Festival organiser, Tourism Authority of Thailand, and was present at the screening last night of her best known film 'Sholay' at the Central World mall in the heart of Bangkok's tourist district.

The other films starring her being shown at the film festival were Dillagi (1978), Lal Patthar (1971), Baghban (2003) and 'Babul' (2006). The film festival opened on July 19 and will continue till July 29.

After the screening, the Indian community in Thailand and the Embassy of India hosted a reception and dinner in her honour at the Rembrandt Hotel where Indian Ambassador to Thailand Latha Reddy felicitated Ms Malini.

Ambassador of Pakistan to Thailand Lt Gen Khateer Hasan Khan (Retd) was also present on the occasion.

Addressing the Indian community, Ms Malini said she was surprised that Thai members in the audience at the 'Sholay' screening still remembered her and came up to greet her after the film.

Hindi films, dubbed in Thai, have long been popular in Bangkok and were screened in cinema theatres here till the early 1980s.

UNI