Baabul steals the show at GIFA fest

Kuala Lumpur: Hundreds of screaming Malaysian fans greeted Bollywood heartthrobs Salman Khan and John Abraham at the international premier of their latest movie, which kicked off a three-day Indian cinema extravaganza on .

The Global Indian Film Awards program started with the premiere of Baabul, starring Salman Khan, the Bollywood star who is also hugely popular in Malaysia, Indonesia and the Middle East.

Malaysian fans, mostly ethnic Indians and many Malay women dressed in traditional headscarves, waited for several hours at a cineplex in a shopping complex for Khan, Abraham and other stars to show up.

"John, John! Come here come to me," many women standing behind steel barriers shouted as he and others walked a red carpet to enter the cinema foyer.

While Abraham ambled up to the fence and shook hands with many fans, Khan waved and signed his name on a billboard before going in.

A highlight of Baabul is the title song by Amitabh Bachchan, 63, the doyen of Indian cinema who dominated the screen for several decades as an action hero before taking on more mature roles.

In Baabul he plays the progressive and fun-loving father whose daughter-in-law becomes a widow. Unable to witness her sorrow, he forces the daughter-in-law to remarry, defying an Indian social taboo against widow remarriage.

Bachchan's son, Abhishek, one of the most popular Indian stars today, was also expected to attend the Global Indian Film Awards, which will climax on Saturday with an Oscar-style awards presentation in 32 categories.

The Bollywood stars are set to play a celebrity soccer match with Malaysian artists and government ministers on Friday, followed by a fashion show and charity dinner.

This is the second annual GIFA program. Last year the awards ceremony to honor Bollywood stars was held in Dubai.

Top stars Shah Rukh Khan, Bipasha Basu, Abraham and Priyanka Chopra were expected to be among the 300 Bollywood personalities in attendance, organizers said.

The nominees for the best film this year are Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, Lage Raho Munnabhai, Rang De Basanti, Krrish and Omkara.

Besides being popular among the Indian diaspora around the world, Indian movies are also followed avidly by people in other countries. In Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, dubbed versions of Indian movies are shown regularly on television.

Indian films are the most widely watched in the world, selling 3.6 billion tickets last year in India alone.

John Abraham and Bipasha Basu arrived for the premiere of Baabul.

John Abraham, shakes hand with fans in Malaysia.

Bollywood stars Rohit Roy, left, and Arbaaz Khan pose as they arrived for the premiere of Baabul.