Shah Rukh Khan Jumps Off MGM

By DEEPAK B JHAVERI

INDIA POST LOS ANGELES BUREAU

Shah Rukh Khan, one of Bollywood’s top stars today, was seen suspended from ropes atop MGM Grand, the hotel and casino in Las Vegas late last year. Khan was also heard screaming in exhilaration. A film he was shooting for required a bungee jumping scene. Khan had the option of using a duplicate (or dummy as Bollywood calls them), but insisted he would do the shot himself. Known to be adventurous, Khan will shoot even for heart-stopping and spine-chilling scenes without a double.

But the point here is not why Khan does his own shots, but why at MGM? As a matter of fact why do most Indian luminaries prefer MGM to most other hotel-casinos in Vegas, be it for business or pleasure? Celebrities like the Indian Nightingale Lata Mangeshkar, the world’s richest NRI Dadi Balsara, film maker Subhash Ghai, Khan and a host of others, share two things in common. Firstly, they are all scintillating stars, and they are all MGM loyalists.

Vegas, the world’s most glamorous and biggest gambling den, boasts of many hotels and casinos like Luxor, Caesar’s Palace, Treasure Island and now New York-New York. However, it is only MGM that still draws the creme de la creme of the Indian community locally as well as from India.

MGM Grand’s grandeur is magnificent, its facilities fantastic, hospitality stunning and ambiance and aura amazing. But above all this is a talented and a vibrant team of international marketing personnel with perhaps Las Vegas’s only executive exclusively for Asian-Pacific and Middle East Marketing.

At the world’s largest hotel and casino and theme park, Marketing Executive of Far East Operations, Rita Vaswani along with Senior Vice President of International Marketing, Linda Chen, are reaching and serving the growing Asian and Middle East market in America, mainly Nevada and California.

Vaswani speaks Spanish, Tagalog, Bisayan, and Hindi, enabling her to be more easily understood to competently address the needs of the ethnic community. A graduate of Science with Business Administration degree from St. Theresa’s College in Cebu City, Philippines, Vaswani completed her post graduation in Marketing from Cal State, Northridge, after a stint in Hong Kong.

"There’s something for everyone, only at MGM," Vaswani said. "Whether you want the excitement of high roller coaster gaming, or want to just spend a relaxing time with your family, we have what you need right here at MGM," she said.

Speaking to India Post, Vaswani said, "MGM offers great family fun. At the MGM Grand Adventures Theme Park, there is the King Louie Activity Center with a Junior Room for three- to six-year-old munchkins; a room for seven- to 12-year-olds, and a room with large TV/VCR for showing the latest in children’s films or for playing Super Nintendo. The Junior Room is non-stop fun with a playhouse, puzzles, tumbling mats, puppets, blocks, and lots of other exciting stuff and the other room has special games like football, ping-pong, mini pool table, board games, and lots of other activities."

Vaswani’s previous experience as a marketing manager with Bank of America and a business owner, makes her a people’s person. "I love to help people and make them comfortable," she said. "I’d be glad to arrange your most exciting and grandest vacation you may have ever had at MGM or if you are planning to have a convention of any kind, I can help you set it up at MGM and you’d be happy you did it here," she added.

Vaswani who is an officially appointed member of Clark County Asian American Commission and Chairman of RP-US Tourism Advisory Council of Las Vegas has been responsible in putting together some very interesting entertainment shows at the MGM, for ethnic communities. And now she has once again embarked on a project the "Bombay Experience": thrilling entertainment from Mumbai, at MGM, April 5.

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