Published by
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at 11:35:12 pm on November 23, 2006
Bollywood of India is the largest film city in the world. A city of hopes, dreams, desires and achievements, success and failures. The Indian cinema over the years has been a great entertainer, recreation medium, motivator, teacher and a magician who draws a dream world on an empty canvas in front of our eyes. But today, this magician in the form of Bollywood is reaching out to the Global audiences as well. Like every other field, cinema has also been globalising to represent India on an international platform. Moreover, Cinema is the second most foreign exchanger grosser for India. So, who’s complaining anyway?
In the past couple of decades, Indian films have undergone a drastic change. There has been a constant quest to westernize the films. A lot of stress is laid to bring Bollywood to the level of Hollywood. There is an effort to meet the western standards of film production, action sequences, songs, dance, technical and aesthetic aspects of the movie. Great Indian classic romance Mughal-E-Azam was re-released with the usage of advanced technology and highly sophisticated softwares. One of the finest examples is Krrish where the breath-taking action sequences were of international standards. To give the Bollywood flicks the western look, many of the western actors are also working in them like Rachel Shelley in Lagaan. Many of the Indian movies are also made keeping in mind the NRIs whose lives are portrayed in them like DDLJ, Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, and Yaadein etc. Kabhi Alvida… became the highest foreign exchange revenue collector movie for India, exceeding the profits of Sholay.
Along the same lines, a lot of other efforts were done to give the Global look to Indian movies, so that it can develop its own market in the west nations. The scripts started to use more of English words in them and mostly came with English sub-titles like Daag-the fire, Tarzan-the wonder car, Waqt-the race against time etc. Many of the Indian movies are also dubbed in foreign languages for the audience convenience. Many of the films are also shot on abroad locales to get the western look in them and also to popularise the movie through its shooting and promotional campaign during the initial stages itself.
Due to all the aforesaid efforts, many Indian film personalities have got recognition abroad. Composer A.R. Rahman gave the music for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Bombay Dreams including the hit single “Shakalaka Baby”. Earlier, film maker Shekhar Kapoor’s Elizabeth was nominated in the best film category at the Academy awards. Many of the Indian actors working abroad are Om Puri, Anupam Kher, Amrish Puri, and Gulshan Grover along with the popular Aishwarya Rai. Ash has been a frequent at the film industries abroad. Her Bride and Prejudice and Mistress of Spices have won her a lot of fame abroad. Film makers who have their roots in India but are not of Indian origin also have contributed immensely in bringing the beauty of Indian cinema on the world stage. Gurinder Chadha (Bend It Like Beckham), Deepa Mehta’s trilogy- Fire, Earth and Water, and Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding).
The popularity and demand of Bollywood across the seas and around the world has also increased many folds. Western audiences are becoming more and more interested in Indian cinema and hence, in India. The culture, the traditions, the ethical sense of film making and their portrayal is a completely new experience for the western audiences. The improvement of Films in India and their better treatment has enabled India to showcase their creativity much better than before. Films like Lagaan, Bride and prejudice have got good appreciation in the world market. More films are released abroad to cater to the respective audiences. Recently, Dor, Lage Raho… were screened at the UN meetings.
For promotional purposes, many of the Indian films’ awards are being organised abroad which triggers off an instant media coverage and hence, publicity. A step ahead was the concept of Indian Oscars in the form of Indian International Film Academy awards (IIFA). It is held at a different country every year. Many of the forthcoming releases are shown in these award shows to promote those films overseas. Filming cinema overseas broadens the market of Indian cinema. There is no niche market concept now in Bollywood. Movies which fell flat at the domestic box office have done wonders abroad like Yaadein and Umrao Jaan recently. Indian film festivals conducted abroad are also gaining popularity and is campaigning in a big way for the Indian cinema in these places. An Indian film festival will also be held at Brazil next year. Such developments signal towards a favoured leaning of the west towards our Bollywood films.
Lastly, facts and figures prove that Indian cinema not only makes a whopping number of over 1,000 movies each year but also earns huge profits irrespective of the box office fate of the film. Bollywood and its biggies are getting recognised all across the world. Read on… The top three films of Brazil are- Dhoom, Don and Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna. Now, doesn’t that prove something? So, Hollywood, here we come!
