Close Encounters of a Different Kind
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CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF A DIFFERENT KIND Film producers and directors, studios and financiers from Bollywood and Hollywood are increasing their exposure and stake in each other’s markets. A report by Dipta Joshi. 42 Entertainment Namaste Hollywood: Bollywood stars Katrina Kaif and Akshay Kumar in Namastey London UCH before British director ready films has added immense value to Danny Boyle’s Oscar-award our existing library.” winning film on Mumbai, SPE was one of the first Hollywood ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, took studios to get the government’s approval MIndia to Hollywood, some of its biggest as early as 1996, to set up a presence in studios had already recognised the poten- India. Though it’s first Hindi movie produc- tial in India. tion, ‘Saawariya’ (November 2007), did Investing in offices and other facili- not last long at the theatres, the company ties in India, these Hollywood studios are stays committed to its plans for the Indian now making movies to offer audiences entertainment market. everything that blockbuster Hindi films It has been associated with a number do. Bollywood too is reaching out to the of big- and mid-size productions like ‘Raaz American film industry to garner a share – the mystery continues’, ‘Hello’ and the in the global entertainment business. soon-to-be-released ‘Tere Sang’. Hollywood’s biggest players have Another Hollywood major, Walt Disney stepped up their Indian plans to operate Studios, has tied up with one of India’s and gain a major share in India’s biggest production houses, Yash Raj burgeoning entertainment pie. No longer Films, to co-produce a series of animated are these players content with a few films for Indian audiences. Though its releases in big cities or with the release of maiden venture, ‘Roadside Romeo’ (2008) blockbusters dubbed in local languages. did not set the cash box jingling, it has Of late, they have been teaming up with others films lined up, though all are at the Indian directors and actors to produce planning stage. films locally. They are also tying up Warner Bros Pictures is also with production houses and acquiring increasing its exposure to India, despite finished movies. the tepid response that its big-budget “It has been a good move on our part debut film, the Akshay Kumar-starrer, to be present in more than one vertical ‘Chandni Chowk to China’ received from like production,” says Kercy Daruwala, the Indian audience. It will now produce managing director, India operations of Sony and distribute three movies with People Pictures Entertainment (SPE). “Acquiring Tree Films. All three – ‘Jaane Kahaa Se 43 ENTERTAINMENT Aayi Hai’, ‘Basra’ and ‘Chandbhai’ – are The company will also be working on a slated for release this year. co-production with Will Smith’s Overbrook Moreover, the company is also looking Entertainment for an animation and action- at tapping into the south Indian film packed Hollywood movie. industry. It has entered into an exclusive In May 2008, UMP announced its multi-picture deal with Ocher Studio, first solo Hollywood film production titled owned by southern superstar Rajnikanth’s ‘Exterminators’. “Over the last few years, daughter Soundarya, for production and we have forged some great working distribution of action-packed south Indian relationships with the leading studios in language films. Another Hollywood major, Fox Star Studios, a joint venture between Twentieth Century Fox and Star, has not only gained Over the last few access to Bollywood, but also decided to expand its operations to the Tamil film years, we have industry. It has signed an exclusive deal with ‘Ghajini’ director A.R. Murugadoss. forged some Interestingly, Tamil films constitute India’s most popular genre after Bollywood. great working Indian players too are gung-ho on relationships several verticals in the overseas entertain- ment business. There exists huge scope with Hollywood for India’s new breed of filmmakers who are not adhering to the tried-and-tested studios. formula. UTV Motion Pictures (UMP) has been associated with several major Hollywood Ronnie Screwvala, studios. Most recently, it has co-produced ceo, UTV Group Indian-American director Mira Nair’s ‘The Namesake’ and the Chris Rock-starrer, ‘I Hollywood and with top acclaimed inter- think I Love My Wife’ with Fox Searchlight. national talent,” said Ronnie Screwvala, In June last year, it also co-produced ceo, UTV. And this, he says, has led to India-born director M. Night Shyamalan’s some unique projects. ‘The Happening’, a US$57million Another corporate player in the Indian co-production with 20th Century Fox. entertainment business is Reliance Big THE HOLLYWOOD - BOLLYWOOD MIX OVER the last five years, several films actors international recognition. • The Namesake – Directed by India- that feature Indian and western themes, • Kambakkht Ishq - A recent rom-com born and New York-settled film- and involve the creative efforts of (romantic comedy), the film has been maker Mira Nair, the film was based directors, producers, actors, technicians cashing in on the guest appearances on a novel by Pulitzer prize-winning and financiers from India, the US and put in by Hollywood stars such as author Jhumpa Lahiri. The film cast the UK have been released. Some such Sylvester Stallone, Brandon Routh a mix of Indian and American actors recent productions are: and Denise Richards. and was co-produced by UTV Motion • Slumdog Millionaire – Despite a British • Marigold – Despite not being able Pictures. Nair is also working on filmmaker (Danny Boyle) at the helm, to set the box office on fire, director the big-budget Johnny Depp-starrer it was one of the first international Willard Carroll’s 2007 film holds the Shantaram. films to deploy a largely Indian crew. distinction of being the first to cast • Bride and Prejudice: A romantic A R Rahman, who scored the film’s an American star as the main lead in musical directed by Gurinder Chadha, music, and sound recordist, Resul a Bollywood movie. Indian superstar the film was an Indo-British-American Pookutty, received Oscars for their Salman Khan was cast opposite Ali joint venture. A Bollywood-style work. The film also got its Indian Larter. adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride 44 ENTERTAINMENT Global audience: Bollywood films such as Saawariya (above) have had a huge fan following around the world and Prejudice, the 2004 film featured Films, a leading Indian production house, former Miss World Aishwarya Rai. and Walt Disney Pictures. • The Happening: It was written, co- • Chandni Chowk to China: Featuring produced and directed by Indian- Akshay Kumar and Deepika Padukone, this American M. Night Shyamalan. The was Warner Bros Pictures India’s debut US$57 million film was co-produced by film. UTV Motion Pictures. • Singh is King: American rapper • Saawariya: It was the first Hindi film Snoop Dogg donned a turban and rapped to be produced by Sony Pictures over the film’s closing credits. The song Entertainment. Directed by Sanjay Leela became a hit with Indians around the Bansali, the US$8.25 million film was the world, and so did the Akshay Kumar first Bollywood movie to be released in action comedy, which became the highest North America by a Hollywood studio. grossing Bollywood film of 2008. The film- • Roadside Romeo: A computer-animated maker, Vipul Shah, has since been signed film, it was co- produced by Yash Raj Aishwarya Rai in Jodha Akbar on by Fox Star for a multiple-film deal. 45 ENTERTAINMENT ‘WE ARE BREakING NEW baRRIERS AND NEW MARKETS’ Film and entertainment mogul, Ronnie Screwvala, ceo of the US$1 billion UTV Group (by market cap), is among the select few in the world of Indian show-biz to have expanded the company’s geographic boundaries, entering into joint ventures with Hollywood studios, financiers and filmmakers. An interview with Screwvala. What has been the impact of the economic slowdown on the Indi- an entertainment industry? There has not been much pain, except for a brief, six-month period. I would say this is the right kind of correction. There was too much of equity chasing a fair amount of immature and non-scalable business models, in the hope one can scale them up. As anywhere in a booming economy, everyone thinks what comes first is the top-line, then the business model and then finally the bottom-line. I think the Ronnie Screwvala way it all works up is first comes the reach out to a strong, high net-worth quite small. The movie industry is 120 business model and then the top-line minority. Therefore, the power ratio of years old and still only worth US$1.5 and bottom-line together. what people would be willing to pay to billion, while the television industry – it There has been a fair amount of reach out to this segment is high. really took off in 1992 – is already worth good correction that has happened. The international companies that US$5 billion. We are breaking new barriers and new we have tied up with are very clear that Frankly, for both television and markets. they want local partnerships so we can films, this is the tip of the iceberg. For both grow together. They do not come television and broadcasting about 80 What are the challenges con- here to own companies. per cent and 95 per cent, respectively, fronting the Indian entertain- The whole small-screen market of revenues come from advertising. ment sector? And what are the in India is worth US$5 billion. That Advertising revenues are growing in opportunities? is a combination of revenues of double digits. The biggest challenge is that the broadcasting, cable, and revenues from consumer has to start paying for content TV content.