Globalisation & international Exposure

The interest in Indian films and stars seems to be growing at a phenomenal rate outside of India. Not only are the stars and technicians in demand, Indian films but are also raking in large profits each year. The rekindling of global interest in Indian culture and art forms is launching Bollywood into orbit.

Now, care is taken to give equal importance to the technical finesse of a film, such as cinematography, sound, mixing, etc., so that the end product can match the quality of international products. Further, the technical superiority of a film is appreciated by the overseas market, which is fast emerging as a primary source of revenue for Indian filmmakers on account of the growing interest in Hindi films amongst expatriates. This has necessitated a change in the target audience of the films and lately, the successful films focus more on class appeal rather than mass appeal. As Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon has shown, a film has to be simply well made and tell a story. That's enough to allow it to travel well. However, finding a global audience also means finding international money and reducing Bollywood's dependence on the underworld, freeing it to expand its creative horizons.²⁷⁶

Indian actors and technicians also have a major opportunity to participate in Hollywood films. The more Indian talent is exposed to Hollywood practices through direct participation, the greater the chances of Bollywood adapting the practices of Hollywood, thereby bringing them closer to each other.

After being voted the "Man of the Millennium" by BBC, screen legend Amitabh Bachchan was immortalized as a wax statue in the British celebrity wax museum, Madame Tussaud's, in 2001.

Further, Paris-based perfume major, Lomani launched a new perfume named after Amitabh Bachchan in 2002. Earlier, in 2001 another French company called Jeanne Arthes had introduced a perfume named after Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan.²⁷⁷

Apart from working with Andrew Lloyd Webber in Bombay Dreams, A. R. Rahman also worked with the king of pop, Michael Jackson on a single titled "E/cam Safyam," which is a duet by two singers and composed by Rahman. It is part Sanskrit and English track.²⁷⁸

'Truth Hurts' made a successful chart debut in 2002 with the Indian influenced single "Addictive", which included a sample of the 20-year-old song "Thoda Resham Lagta Hai.” Truthfully Speaking, the album featuring the song, sold over 600,000 copies and reached No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100.²⁷⁹

As mentioned earlier, another more recent Bollywood related development was in the making of the Hollywood spectacle Moulin Rouge, for which the director, Baz Luhrmann, borrowed key stylistic elements of Bollywood to create his film. In showcasing the thrilling dance sequences, he also plays with other Bollywood themes, such as switching back and forth from high comedy to high tragedy, having the two main stars, narrate the story through song and spending millions of dollars to make the sets and costumes as lavish as possible. Also, wanting to capture the intense colors of Bollywood films, Luhrmann decided to make the film in technicolor.²⁸⁰

As Amitabh Bachchan, India's most revered star, said, "The West is looking to Indian stars as good, marketable icons. While this is the visible part of the iceberg, the underlying truth is that the West, as a whole is looking to India and its various products in an entirely new light. It is no wonder that Indian fashions, jewelery, lifestyles, food, art and media are 'buzzy' the world over. These Indian 'products' including our rich culture, were always there, but now they're in demand. Indian films too, with their stars, were always good, but with this new world market swing, they have become attractive money spinners in the West.²⁸¹

Lagaan, a period epic about Indian farmers who best their colonial rulers in a game of cricket, was nominated for the Academy Award in the Best Foreign Film category in 2002.²⁸²

In January of 2001, K3G brought in 500,000 pounds ($706,400) in ticket sales in its first week of release in Britain, making it the number three box-office draw.²⁸³ In North America, the film took in US $1.37 million its first week, placing it in the Top 10.²⁸⁴ Similarly, Kaante has made nearly US $1 million (£622,000) at the US box office and has so far taken £268,507 in Britain, reports Screen Daily²⁸⁵ and is reported to be heading for a US $150,000 to US $170,000 gross in North America and $200,000 in Britain.²⁸⁶

While there is a remarkable increase in the presence and popularity of Indian films overseas, the process of globalization has only just begun. Barbara Scharres²⁸⁷ believes that K3G could be the beginning of an interest in Bollywood for American audiences. She compared it to the beginnings of Hong Kong's cinematic exposure in the US in the 1990s.²⁸⁸ Further, the Oscar nominated Aamir Khan production Lagaan, was released in mainstream theaters in the U.S. and U.K. by Sony Pictures Classics and it was greatly appreciated not only by expatriates, but also by international audiences.²⁸⁹ Therefore, with Bollywood becoming more sophisticated and its talent gaining global recognition, new opportunities for collaboration between these two industries are constantly cropping up. A decade ago, no one would have guessed that the Asian cinema would be so popular and the Asian actors (Jackie Chan, John Woo, Jet Lee) would be household names in the U.S.²⁹⁰