If you want to know why Aussie babes like Tania Zaetta are heading to Mumbai, just ask Farah Shah. This 40-year-old professional choreographer and dancer runs the hugely popular Mango Dance Studio in Sydney – which she claims is Australia’s ‘first permanent Bollywood dance school’. “No one knew what Bollywood dancing was when I started it, especially the Indian community. The Western Australian community seemed to understand that it was dancing shown in Bollywood movies,” she recounts.

So what exactly is ‘Bollywood’ dance? Shah says it’s a mix of Arabic, Latin, hip hop and bhangra steps, but insists it’s a genre of its own, much like jazz, funk and hip hop. “For me it was only natural to pick up another dance style that was part of my heritage. I had been dancing and choreographing Bollywood-styled shows since the age of 13 and was already quite used to that style,” says Shah.

Born in Kenya of Indian parents, Farah says she inherited her love for the ‘masala’ film culture from her mother. But has she ever been to Mumbai? “Yes – when I was 15 I visited the city with my mother and expected it to be like a Hindi movie set! I was shocked to see the poverty. But we loved it and got to go on the set of a Rajesh Khanna and Hema Malini movie. We even had tea with Rajesh Khanna!” she says with a laugh.

Though she’s been performing professionally for 15 years and teaching for a decade, the inspiration for Bollywood dance only came to her a couple of years ago. “While living in London in 2003, I saw the hype surrounding Hindi film and film stars and found they even had Bollywood dance classes. I was amazed by how popular it was. It gave me the idea to start similar classes in Australia.”

After testing the waters for a bit, two months ago, she finally took the plunge – and business is booming. “The majority of my students are Australian and around 30 percent are Indian. The Australian audience, which is already multi-cultural, has just soaked it up. My students keep me updated on the latest Shah Rukh Khan movies and Bollywood gossip – and to think they are Aussies!”

With Australia and New Zealand emerging as major film shoot locations (movies like Matrix, Mask, Superman and Lord of the Rings have been shot here) Shah feels that it’s just a matter of time before Hindi filmmakers head here too. And she sees her school as an opportunity for herself and the dancers she trains to be involved in Bollywood movies filmed in Australia and New Zealand. “Why bring them from India when you can get trained dancers locally?” Will Karan Johar please answer the lady?