GLOBALIZATION OF INDIAN CINEMA

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!