This was published 9 years ago
Indian Film Festival director Mitu Bhowmick Lange on her favourite Melbourne places
By Mary O'Brien
Mitu Bhowmick Lange was born in Delhi, studied in Bombay and moved to Melbourne in 2002. She got to know the city through a Bollywood movie, says the MCG is a must with visitors and feels most at home in a temple in Albert Park.
What film has best captured your sense of the city?
Mitu Bhowmick Lange made her first Melbourne friends at the Hare Krishna temple.Credit: Craig Sillitoe
My first big job was line-producing a film called Salaam Namaste in 2004. It was the first Bollywood film that was shot in Victoria and the characters were two Indian students who were studying here. It was a crazy shoot, a crazy year and a crazy journey. Until then I didn't know much about Melbourne but thanks to the film I saw every corner of Victoria. The film went on to become the biggest blockbuster of that year in India. It was my first big job and it helped me feel a sense of belonging because I knew the rules and locations by then.
Your favourite public space?
Mitu Bhowmick Lange with Eddie McGuire and Bollywood actress Vidya Balan at the MCG in 2012.
Federation Square. When I first came, I wasn't sure whether I liked it or I hated it. But over the years, such amazing cultural events have taken place there that it has become a heart for the city. We do a huge Bollywood festival there and there's no place to stand. Last year we had a Bollywood dance competition and it was bitterly cold. We had a couple of big Bollywood directors who had come down. It was drizzling and I was really worried about who would come. But when it started, there was no place to stand - it was chock-a-block. They cheered as if the sun was shining.
Where do you take visitors to Melbourne?
All Indians love to go to the MCG - it's a must. There's a picture there of Sachin Tendulkar with Don Bradman. There are only three copies of that picture: one with Tendulkar, one with Bradman and one at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Everyone loves having a picture taken in front of it. Professionally we get a lot of visitors - my family loves coming and my friends - so in the year there are only a few days where we don't have someone staying at our place. My mother's a staunch socialist Bengali woman, and it was interesting how she looked at the way the city is planned and the prosperity here. Vidya Balan, a Bollywood actress, was invited two years ago to throw the match ball at the MCG. She was wearing a beautiful red sari and the whole crowd roared. It was quite a surreal moment.
Your favourite tram stop?
The one on Fitzroy Street, St Kilda - you could have a drag queen and a student who has partied all night and a billionaire in a suit. It's unique because at any given time you find the strangest mix of people waiting there. The stop is never empty - it's always busy.
Which door would you most like to go through?
The door of the Hare Krishna temple in Albert Park. It was one of the first places that I connected with when I moved to Melbourne. When I first came, I was miserable and very lonely. I had no job, no friends and I used to sit at home and wait for my husband to come back. Then when he came, I used to argue with him. Going to the temple, I started making a few friends there. It's the oldest temple in Australia and the kitchen makes 5000 meals a week. Somehow it grounds me. My husband is a Methodist but he always comes with me. It was the first place I felt a sense of belonging - until then I was very lost.
Your favourite suburb?
St Kilda. I really settled in Melbourne once we moved to St Kilda. It's quite bohemian and everyone is from everywhere. It's got an energy and busyness. It's very inclusive, the weird and the wonderful and everyone in between. I work on Acland Street and live in St Kilda. I walk or use my bike as I'm the world's worst driver.
Your favourite piece of architecture?
I went to the Princess Theatre very soon after we first came here. It's a stunning building. In Calcutta and Bombay there are quite a few old theatres from the raj. We had the patriarch of Indian cinema, Amitabh Bachchan, come to the Indian Film Festival awards night at the Princess Theatre and it was completely sold out because he is huge. Mr Bachchan wanted to take a selfie with the whole audience at the back. I was standing on the stage looking at the theatre, which was magnificent with three storeys full with crazy energy. It was a really magical moment.
A recent discovery?
I went to a new Indian restaurant, Babu Ji, in Fitzroy Street, St Kilda. They tell you where the ingredients are from, and even though it's typical Indian fare there's a bit more of a Western twist to it. Also the Boardwalk at the St Kilda Baths. It's a small cafe that sells wonderful sandwiches and juices, and has the best chicken pie.