Bollywood movies typically have a half dozen songs, and filmmakers look for Caucasian rather than Indian dancers to reinforce the foreign locale, said Pooja Narang, founder of a New York-based Bollywood Axion dance company.

'They usually ask for white dancers trained in a variety of styles, including Indian,' she said.

While earlier Bollywood movies shot in New York could have been set anywhere, newer ones such as a big-budget film by Karan Johar, a pioneer of New York-based Bollywood dramas to be released this fall work the city into their stories.

'The trend is now evolving into one where we shoot in New York because the city is integral to the script,' Johar said.

Most Bollywood stars and crews stay at the Radisson Lexington in New York, a hotel run by Sam Bhadha. He has ties to the Indian film industry from working at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai in the 1980s. -- REUTERS