'Vivacious' actress Tamannaah Bhatia to lead NJ India Day Parade
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One of India's biggest movie stars is coming to Edison.
Actress Tamannaah Bhatia, who has 28 million Facebook followers, will be the grand marshal of the India Day Parade on Sunday, according to the Indian Business Association, sponsor of the parade.
The 19th annual India Day Parade marking the 76th Indian Independence Day will march along Oak Tree Road from Edison to the Iselin section of neighboring Woodbridge. The parade will start at 1 p.m. at the intersection of Cinder and Oak Tree roads in Edison.
"We are extremely excited and honored to welcome the vivacious Indian actress, Ms. Tamannaah Bhatia, to grace our event. She has been featured in more than 65 Indian movies and is especially known for her performance in the blockbuster movie, Baahubali. She is the talk of town with her latest viral song with millions of views," says a Facebook post by the Indian Business Association.
Bhatia gained social media attention this week for the gracious and calm way she interacted with a fan who breached security to meet her.
The Hindustan Times and other media outlets reported Bhatia was recently leaving an event and waving to fans when a young man apparently jumped over a barrier to greet her. A video of the encounter shows the young man pulled away by apparent security personnel before Bhatia motions with her hand for the man to calm down and invites him closer to shake her hand and poses for a selfie with him before waving goodbye.
Bhatia stars in this year's Netflix film, "Lust Stories 2."
The parade is scheduled to include marching bands, floats, live music and performances, and cultural programs.
"We have a great line of entertainment for you all and look forward to seeing all our fellow Indians and Indian supporters in large numbers to celebrate Indian Independence Day," the Facebook post says.
More: Indian PM Modi's visit highlights polarized views among NJ's Indian Americans
Last year the organization was criticized for including a float with a piece of construction equipment adorned with signs and slogans expressing support for the prime minister of India and members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
The Edison Police Department received complaints that the float was an offensive and Islamophobic endorsement of the divisive practice of using heavy machinery to demolish homes of alleged criminals, protestors, and rioters in India.
This brand of “bulldozer politics” has been criticized as disproportionately targeting religious-minority communities in India, according to the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office which investigated the bias incident.
After the parade, a large group, many from the Indian community, turned out at two Edison Township Council meetings to voice their concerns about the meaning and use of the construction equipment symbol.
The president of the Indian Business Association later issued a letter of apology to the mayors of both Edison and Woodbridge for including the divisive image in the parade and pledged to ban similar symbols in future parades.
The Prosecutor's Office announced in January that no charges of bias intimidation would be filed.
Email: srussell@gannettnj.com
Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Tamannaah Bhatia is NJ India Day Parade grand marshal
