Culture vultures sharpen claws to combat
money-spinning foreign films
Neena Haridas in New Delhi
Take One:
The newly created ministry of culture, now under minister Ananth Kumar, is gearing up to guard the young minds from the "detrimental influence" of Hollywood films.
Take Two:
The Indian market's imports of Hollywood movies are estimated at $30 million. Exports of Indian films are put at $10 million.
Senior government officials say a new plan is being formulated to combat the threat to Indian cinema from Hollywood, in consultation with other ministries. At an opportune time, the government will express its opinion at the World Trade Organisation's upcoming Seattle ministerial.
In the recent past, Godzilla had grossed Rs 280 million in India, Anaconda Rs 180 million, Jurassic
Park Rs 150 million and Lost World Rs 22 million! Bollywood hits like Taal and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam could
raked in only $ 2 million and $ 1.5 million respectively in the US and the UK. (1 US $ = Rs 43.40 roughly.)
Hollywood's romantic comedies collect anything between Rs 20 million and Rs 60 million at the box-office. Dubbed versions of movies featuring animals rake in much more -- they are popular with cinema-goers in India's small towns.
India is not the only country that has become sensitive to the cultural or business implications of the 'Hollywood invasion'. At the World Round Table Conference of Culture
Ministers in Paris recently, 57 countries resolved to work out a collective strategy to check the proliferation of western movies.
The participants, with the exception of the UK, Sweden and the Netherlands,
recognised the view that culture is unique and should not be treated like
other goods and services. Culture should be exempted from the regime of free
trade advocated in forums like the WTO, they said.
Hollywood exports nearly 100-odd films to India. "It is the lack of
reciprocity on the US part that bothers us," says Amit Khanna of Plus
Channel. The reason for the lukewarm response to Indian movies in the exports markets is that these films interest only the Indian diaspora. Hence, the collection does not justify the
money spent on it. However, Hollywood productions with their universal appeal and
language, are easily acceptable and make money easily.
With only Taal and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai grossing over $ 2 million abroad, Indian film producers have decided to take the plunge into overseas market more
carefully. Sooraj Barjatya has reportedly put his foot down on selling the
overseas rights of his flim Hum Saath-Saath Hain unless he gets a
minimum guarantee of Rs 250 million. And Raj Kumar Santoshi is reportedly
asking for Rs 120 million for the rights of his new film
starring Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan. Offers are stagnating at
Rs 80 million.
“Sometimes, movies that do not do well in India make a
wave in the overseas market. For instance, Ajay Devgan-starrer Dil Kya Kare
which was a flop in India, collected Rs 20 million in the overseas market,” says a trade expert.
The "overseas market" became a rage in Bollywood about a year ago, even
though films for the Indian diaspora have been doing the rounds ever since the
days of M S Sathyu's Garam Hawa, Raj Kapoor’s Awara and Mithun Chakraborty’s Disco Dancer. But it was Rajshri Films's Maine Pyaar Kiya that opened the floodgates. The film was even dubbed in Spanish and English!
Later, Lamhe, Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge and Hum Aap Ke Hain Kaun? did brisk business abroad.
However, things have changed and Hindi movies no longer give the same
sense of nostalgia to the audience and money to the film-makers. Rishi Kapoor's
Aa Ab Laut Chalen, starring Akshaye Khanna and Aishwarya Rai,
could generate only Rs 40 million from the export markets, as against Rs 60 million for which the overseas rights were sold.
This has only made Indian film-makers determined to succeed abroad. The rising production costs make it imperative for them to target a wider market so that margins remain high.
A big budget film that used to cost Rs 50 million a couple of years ago, consumes Rs
150 million today. Similarly, the cost of distribution rights has risen. For instance, Indra Kumar's Mann was reportedly sold for Rs 30 million per
zone. His Raja fetched Rs 6 million three years ago. Publicity costs offer no comfort. ‘‘Unless a film is well mounted and well publicised, it would fall flat at the box-
office,’’ says Sanjay Mehta, a Delhi-based film distributor.
The government's combat-Hollywood strategy has not yet evoked a reaction from English film-makers. Officials of Sony/Columbia Tristar which plans production studios in India,
are tightlipped. Uday Kaushik of Paramount says, “English
movies do well in India because each one has a novelty factor and
distributors bring in only those movies that have the chances of doing well
here. As for Hindi movies, every big budget movie is exported for the
benefit of the Indian diaspora, but they have the same story-line and
similar songs. I think even the diaspora is bored of nostalgia, weddings and
festivals.”
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