Bollywood to get its own 'Walk of Fame'

An artist's impression of the Bollywood Walk of Fame.

MUMBAI (Reuters) - The Indian film industry is known to take a cue or two from Hollywood and the latest example is the iconic Walk of Fame.

Mumbai's overcrowded but posh Bandra suburb will soon be home to a Bollywood Walk of Fame, thanks to a branding initiative by the UTV Stars TV channel.

The Walk of Fame in Los Angeles has more than 2,500 terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalk honouring celebrities in Hollywood.

In Mumbai, a part of the pavement in the sea-facing Bandstand area, home to several stars like Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan, will be turned into a Bollywood Walk of Fame.

"We thought it would be good to honour some of our biggest stars, so we will have hand imprints on brass plates and embed them in the pavement," Nikhil Gandhi, Business Head of the channel, told Reuters.

More than 60 of the biggest stars in Bollywood, past and present, have been identified and will be honoured next year, he said.

"Getting hold of a piece of pavement was difficult, but the residents' association was very co-operative," Gandhi said.

The Bandstand area is often frequented by Bollywood tourists, visitors from out of town, hoping to catch a glimpse of their favourite stars, and Gandhi said he hoped this stretch would become another landmark.

(Reporting by Shilpa Jamkhandikar)