Rishi Kapoor and Shobhaa De to Appear at Jaipur Literature Festival

Bollywood royalty Rishi Kapoor and famed Indian author and social commentator Shobhaa De will feature in Adelaide's first satellite of the iconic Jaipur Literature Festival, described as 'the greatest literary show on earth'.

Celebrating the stories and rich culture of India and connections between broader Asia and Australia, the free event from 9 - 11 November is part of Adelaide Festival Centre's OzAsia Festival 2018. This is the first time the festival will be hosted in Adelaide, after having travelled to New York, Houston, Boulder and London earlier in the year.

JLF in Adelaide will feature a carefully curated program of panels showcasing 54 international and local authors, journalists, thinkers and activists.

They include Rishi Kapoor who was born into the "first family" of the Indian film world. With more than 100 films under his belt, he has watched the evolution and growth of the film industry from up close.

Also heading to Adelaide: popular Indian author Devdutt Pattanaik, Singaporean spoken word poet Pooja Nansi, multi-award winning writer and comedian Sami Shah and the festival's Artistic Directors and celebrated writers William Dalrymple and Namita Gokhale.

The 27 international writers come from India, China, Singapore, Canada, Indonesia, New Zealand and the UK. There are 27 Australian speakers, including nine from South Australia.

Panels will discuss, debate and reflect on a range of topics, from politics and economics, to travel and the arts.

OzAsia Festival Artistic Director Joseph Mitchell said the addition of JLF in Adelaide ensures literature becomes a core part of the annual OzAsia Festival program. "With more than 30 panels to choose from, it's a wonderful opportunity to hear different perspectives about fiction, culture, social ideas and regional politics from many influential literary and cultural figures across India, Australia and the broader region. It's also a great excuse to have fun and celebrate all things Indo-Pacific, with live music, workshops and plenty of colour."

Founded in 2006, Jaipur Literature Festival is an annual event held in Rajasthan. In the past decade the world's largest free event of its kind has hosted more than 1,600 speakers and welcomed more than 1.2 million participants.

A free outdoor music series forms part of the JLF in Adelaide program and will feature popular fusion band Kabir Cafe as well as performances by the revered and Grammy Award-winning percussionist Vikku Vinayakram and the extraordinarily talented drummer Selvaganesh. All music performances take place in OzAsia Festival's outdoor hub, the Lucky Dumpling Market.

Jaipur Literature Festival Artistic Director William Dalrymple said he was excited to introduce South Australians to the creativity and colour of JLF: "I am completely thrilled JLF is going to Adelaide, one of my favourite cities in the world and the perfect partner for JLF's magical literary caravan."

Sanjoy K. Roy, Managing Director of Teamwork Arts, which produces the ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival, said, "Teamwork Arts is delighted to bring JLF to Adelaide as its future home in Australia. With an array of writers from across the world we hope to continue to build on platforms which are rich in content and allow for discussion, debate and dissent!"

For more information visit: https://www.ozasiafestival.com.au/program/jlf-in-adelaide/

Adelaide Festival Centre's OzAsia Festival 2018 is supported by the Government of South Australia through Arts South Australia.

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