Bollywood, the next generation of cross-over content
One of my favorite jobs of all time was as the Key Electrician on the Bollywood film Aa Ab Laut Chalen (1999) directed by Rishi Kapoor and shot in New York City.
Besides one other American Key Grip, the entire crew was comprised of Indian men and who all referred to themselves as Camera Assistants. At first, they were quite skeptical about having a lady technician on set, but with the assurance of my male compatriot, they warmed up to me immediately. I had a blast. They were lovely to work beside and the footage was beautiful. I love Bollywood films, and if my comparable wages in rupees were enough to live and thrive, I would have moved to India in a heartbeat long ago. Alas, I did not. Luckily, the Eagle Theater in Jackson Heights keeps me up to speed. The latest of which was Krish thoroughly enjoyed by both my cousin and myself.
Of all the films that I have watch as an adult Bollywood cinema still can captures me in much the same way most movies did when I was a child. This fascination dates back to a summer I spent in Ireland as a child. I was in Waterford with not much to do except bake cookies with Auntie Annie and watch Indian cinema on BBC 2. These heavenly days were finished with the network premier the Thorn Birds miniseries in the evenings. While the Thorn Birds no longer holds my fancy quite the same as it did back then, Bollywood cinema does.
Here is an interesting article on the cross over reality and potential for Bollywood content now and in the near future:
Yash Raj Films, one of India's largest film producers and distributors, has reportedly said in September 2005 that Bollywood films in the US earn around 100 million dollars a year through theatre screenings, video sales and the sale of movie soundtracks.
Even though this is a small number compared to the mainstream US film industry, these figures contribute significantly to the bottom line of Indian filmmakers. Films from India do more business in the United States than films from any other country, according to the Internet Movie Database, an organisation that tracks box office sales in several countries.
The now 8 billion dollars Indian film industry produces more than 900 movies a year in more than 20 languages, which makes India the world's most prolific film producer, according to Entertainment Weekly.
Realising the value of catering to the Indian American taste, many film makers from Mumbai have themes that could easily relate to Non-Resident Indians (NRIs).
"Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham", known as K3G, was released in December 2001 in the United States and grossed more than 1 million dollars in its opening weekend. It ended its one-month run in the United States with 2.9 million dollars in box-office sales. The appeal was not only the star-studded cast and the exotic scenes filmed at the pyramids of Egypt but the emotional story line of a well-to-do family torn apart when the eldest son rejects a prospective bride his father chooses and marries a woman of his own choice.
Veer-Zaara, marketed to both Indians and Pakistanis, followed in K3G's footsteps with its November 2004 release in the United States, also bringing 2.9 million dollars during a two-month period. The familiar plot of a Hindu falling in love with a Muslim was filled with unfamiliar twists and turns.
"If more improvements are made in marketing and distribution, Bollywood films can earn significantly more revenue," says Gitesh Pandya, editor of online movie sales-tracking site boxofficeguru.com. "Many of the bigger films are debuting in the Top 20 box office charts despite playing in only a few dozen theatres nationwide," he added.
Over the past 10 years, Indian filmmakers have set their sights on the United States also when it comes to location filming. With growing numbers of south Asians migrating to the West, plot lines increasingly include scenes in America. A few recent prominent films made in the United States include Kaante (Thorns), Kal Ho Naa Ho (Tomorrow May Never Be), and Chocolate.
With its movie industry gaining popularity in the West, Bollywood enjoys instant access to American living rooms via "Bollywood On Demand" provided by Comcast Corporation, the largest cable television provider in the United States, and more movie titles are being offered through video rental companies Blockbuster Video and Netflix.
