A red-carpet event was held for Guru, a premiere that heralded not only the arrival of a film, but also a growing cultural phenomenon.

Two of Hindi Cinema's top stars, Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai, arrived in Times Square Friday night, as the film opened around the world.

At the vast AMC Empire 25 theatre on West 42nd Street, it got a high-profile American debut that according to many was unusual for a film without the apparent crossover credentials of a film like Bride and Prejudice. Ash attended the American premiere of that film at a theatre in Union Square nearly two years ago.

Things have changed for Indian cinema since then. Seven Hindi films each made more than $2 million last year at the US box office. Only one, Water, had an American distributor.

Long available on video/DVD, increasingly Indian films can now be seen on cinema screens across the States, and, since November, on cable television video-on-demand in almost two dozen states.

"There is a huge interest in the world in India, things Indian and in Indian cinema," Bobby Bedi, a producer, said about the prospects for Indian cinema abroad.