The Los Angeles Times discovers the three-year-old Artesia branch of Naz Cinemas during a recent cricket match between India and Pakistan. What took them so long to notice? Hey, you try driving from L.A. to Artesia in under three years. It might be worth the trip:

The cinema draws expatriates from San Diego to Santa Monica, eager to see the colorful costumes and hear the lively songs that make Bollywood films famous. In addition to Indian movies, Jivani shows films from Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, Korea and the Philippines. But to South Asian immigrants, Naz cinemas is more than a movie theater. It also serves as a sort of community center and social club. Here they can comfortably gather and gossip, reminisce and reconnect. “It’s like a home away from home,” said (owner Shiraz) Jivani, 49. “By serving them Indian tea, Indian samosas, Indian snacks, they feel like they are back home.” Jivani, a Pakistani native with a degree from Stanford University, opened his first theater in the Bay Area city of Fremont in 1992, followed by another in nearby Sunnyvale in 1999 and the Lakewood theater in 2002. [Los Angeles Times]

Los Angeles Times: Indians and Pakistanis get together for cricket (free registration required)