THE name may not be as internationally well-known as a Hollywood star like Nicole Kidman -- but Bollywood's Honey Kalaria is undoubtedly a big star in her own right.

She has been in countless films, appeared in numerous pop videos, founded Indian dance schools and even starred in her own exercise video. In fact, she's a very busy star.

She has performed in front of the Queen and the late Princess Diana. She has opened eight Asian dance academies and is now lined up to work with Gareth Gates on his latest tour.

Only this week, she appeared on Channel Four's Rise programme before attending the premiere of her latest film Indian Babu.

She said: "I am always busy but I have reached the stage now, where If I am not doing one thing I am doing another. If I am not making a film I am dancing or doing something else."

A mainstay of the Bollywood scene, she has watched it transcend from the fringes of Asian life into mainstream British culture.

"Nobody knew what Bollywood was about apart from people involved in the industry and the Asian people who rented and bought the films, but recently it has exploded," she explained.

"Andrew Lloyd Webber's Bombay Dreams, Selfridges creating a Bollywood month and television programmes like the Kumars at No 42 have all helped in this crossover, but it has always been there.

"So many things are happening at the moment and it is certainly in fashion, but even when it goes out of vogue the current surge in popularity will mean that it will remain and grow further."

She also thinks that the establishment of a truly British Asian population and their intermingling with traditional white society has helped the rise in status of the industry which churns out more films every year than anywhere else in the world, including its famous American counterpart, Hollywood.

Added Honey: "What you find is that British Asians are now third or fourth generation and quite westernised in their outlook and certain things that are quite traditional in the culture might not appeal as much to them.

"These films are a way of bridging the gap between the culture that they experience and that of their parents. Of course these youngsters will naturally have other friends who they can introduce them to, which then of course opens the films up to a whole new set of fans."

It is this cultural assimilation which Honey thinks can only be beneficial to society as a whole.

She said: "I think that anything that helps educate people about another culture is important and if these movies help promote integration then I am all for it.

"The only way to avoid tension is to learn about the way others live and therefore understand the customs and lifestyles of others."

However, she says it is not just western society that is opening up to the idea Bollywood films. The movie makers are also opening up to western ideas and techniques for their movies.

Honey said: "London is very much a melting pot and also a very popular place for Bollywood companies because they can learn a lot from western film-makers and apply them to their own movie making techniques."

Honey is constantly working to promote the message of social harmony by giving up her time to go into schools and teach children about Indian culture.

She has recently completed a nationwide tour of schools, during which she has used her dancing skills to begin explorations into Indian life, culture and geography.

She said: "For me it is so important to stay in touch with the community. The entertainment world is very cut throat and I can get quite lost at times and this helps me appreciate the normal things and hopefully make a difference to society."

Out of the classroom however, Honey's rise has been prolific. She started dancing at the age of four and has trained in a vast array of styles including Indian, classical, Latin American, disco and Egyptian belly dancing.

She has modelled, sung, acted and set up the schools, which now have approximately 800 students, and she also runs her own company called Diva entertainments.

Honey has also choreographed numerous pop videos for bands such as Soul to Soul and Kula Shaker and appeared on television and the silver screen.

In her latest film, Indian Babu, directed by Laurence De Sousa, she plays the cousin of a young Indian girl who arrives in Britain and falls in love with man but has a prearranged marriage with another.

She said: "It was great fun filming and working with a great director and actors. I can't tell you what happens at the end but there is a lot of music and dancing."

Life doesn't stop for Honey, however. After going to the premiere, she jetted straight out to New York.

Indian Babu goes on general release today.