Curry, colors and craziness collide as Hollywood and Bombay take over Pullman.

The Palouse Indian Families Association (PIFA) and the Indian Students Association will host Bollywood Nite, an informal dance featuring Bollywood style music. This is their second year putting on the event.

“Last year we had a good response, and that’s what we’re hoping this time,” said Preeti Malik-Kale, PIFA member. “Depending on how it goes, the goal is to maintain it annually.”

The Indian Students Association (ISA) is an international on-campus organization that reaches out to new Indian students and makes them feel at home, ISA president Nivedita Rajakumar said. The association puts on numerous events including the Color Festival  and India Night.

PIFA does similar events on a smaller scale, such as dances and Hindu prayer meetings. Described as a family away from home, PIFA works closely with the students of ISA, Rajakumar said.

“We support them and they support us for events on campus,” she said.

Monika Murugesen, committee officer for PIFA, said this year’s Bollywood Nite was moved to an earlier date than last year to welcome new students and kick off the new school year. Last year’s reception was a major success, with more than 150 people attending, she said.

“We have events where people can come have Indian food or listen to Indian music and dance to it,” Murugesen said. “This is the one event where… all three are put together.”

The event includes a disc jockey playing music while food will be available for purchase from Mele Cuisine, a small caterer in the Pullman-Moscow area. Vegetarian options will be included, along with items such as curry and rice.

So far one of the difficulties is getting a proper head count for the caterer so that just enough food is prepared for the night. While pleasantly surprised by how many people show up at the door to buy tickets, it’s best if they know how many are coming ahead of time, said Malik-Kale.

Bollywood Nite started based on a common interest among university students and families in the area. The theme of Bollywood pays homage to India’s movie industry, and the music choices for the evening are mostly songs from Bollywood movies.

“Every (Bollywood) movie is like watching ‘Frozen,’” Murugesen said. “It’s a musical.”

Bollywood music is high energy with lots of bounces, said Yogatopia Studio owner Aletha Lynn, who has been collaborating with Malik-Kale on the event. Simplistic yet animated, she described Bollywood dance as a mix of American club dancing and traditional Indian folk dances.

“If you watch Bollywood music videos you’ll see there’s lots of movement with the eyes and face,” Lynn said.

When thinking of Bollywood, slow and melodious love songs shouldn’t come to mind. The colorful tunes include drums and loud instruments coming together, Rajakumar said.

Lynn described Bollywood style as a social but classy family dance. It’s a perfect fit for families because the kids will already be bouncing around, she said. The music is lively and fun, similar to a Zumba session.

“One thing about Bollywood music is you can never make a fool out of yourself dancing,” Rajakumar said.

Bollywood Nite will be at 7 p.m. Saturday at Gladish Community and Cultural Center. Tickets are $5 if purchased in advance and $7 at the door. Kids under 5 years old get in free. To purchase tickets, email [email protected] or [email protected].