Hollywood studio's affair with Bollywood
Wednesday, June 02, 2010 10:51:49 AM (IST)
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Enkayaar, Bollywood Trade Editorial
When Sony International Films Distribution Limited had entered into the business of film making and distribution in India, there was anticipation that the company would weave a new spell of magic mantra and bring about a sense of organization into the art of film making and distribution in the world of Hindi films. It has been more than two years since the initiative was undertaken by the Hollywood biggies, and the effort is more a mixed bag rather than being a successful venture into a territory, which is one of the most successful ones in the film circuit all over the world owing to its outreach and fan following. Here is a rerun of those films and the fallout of the initiatives as they have panned out.
1. SAWARIYA: The first initiation in this direction was SAAWARIYA which was a mega initiative by Sony International. The film could not make waves but the hero Ranbir Kapoor became the heartthrob of the nation. May be the time has come for Sony to do an encore with Ranbir Kapoor to cement their position.
2. CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA: It was Warner Brother's initiative and though it was mounted on a large scale it could not scale the Great Wall of China, aka the approval of the fans and Warner brothers have to may be come up with a content that is India centric.
3. SAAS BAHU AUR SENSEX: Trying to ride on the two biggest passions of average Indians, cricket, sensex, and injecting the spice of saas-bahu saga into the nomenclature the producers Warner’s Brothers thought that they would scale the box office, but the patrons sent then on a bearish run.
4. MY NAYME IS KHAN: Touted as a film with a difference that would underline the importance of Shah Rukh Khan as an actor, and also spread the message of inter-religious marriage, the film could make its presence felt only in the metropolitan cities, and one often wonders, whether, if the controversy that the film got mired into would not have been there, whether the film would have been able to make its presence felt. It was produced by Fox Searchlight pictures.
5. ATITHI TUM KAB JAOGE: It was produced by Warner Brothers and was supposed to be a laugh riot that would have sent the producers laughing all the way to the bank, but the slap stick comedy did not enthrall in the same manner.
6. LAHORE: The film was supposed to weave a new spirit of bon homie between India and Pakistan, but it could not do so. It is altogether a different matter that it brought into the realm sports called kickboxing for the Indian public to understand and tries to adapt it. The film, however, did get international acclaim, but box office fame eluded it. However, it was the most successful initiative of Warner brothers in India, as the film has now been bought by filmmakers of Hollywood to be produced in English.
May be, the Hollywood biggies need to have a relook into their strategy factoring in the fact that only technical finesse is not going to enthrall the patrons in India, but the content has to be suited to its sensibilities, only then can they be able to attain the success that has been there bench mark in Hollywood otherwise.
Tags : SAWARIYA, CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA, SAAS BAHU AUR SENSEX, MY NAYME IS KHAN, ATITHI TUM KAB JAOGE, LAHORE, Sony International Films Distribution Limited, Shah Rukh Khan
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