It?s now an open secret that Karan Johar films do disproportionately better overseas. For example, Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna (2006) may have got a lukewarm response in India, but it was one of the highest grossers at the box-office overseas. Waking up to the potential of the diaspora market, Bollywood films are now releasing same day and date with India in traditional markets like the UK and the US and a host of other countries as well.
?The penetration of Bollywood films is increasing in traditional markets,? says Navin Shah, CEO, Percept Picture Company. ?If earlier, a film would release with 5 or 6 prints in the UK, now it?s releasing with 50-60 prints,? he adds. The overseas market is growing at a rate of 30-35%, says Shah.
Consider this: the Aamir Khan starrer Ghajini, which opened on Christmas day in 22 countries, has grossed $4 million, outside of India, over the Christmas weekend. Distributed by BIG Pictures, the film, which has got mixed reviews in India, opened with $0.92 million in West Asia, the highest opening weekend for a Hindi film. The other trend the industry?s witnessing is the fact that Bollywood is now foraying into non-traditional markets such as Germany, Poland and France. Germany has a 24/7 Bollywood channel.
Ghajini, for instance, will also release in Myanmar, Uganda, Malaysia and Morocco in the coming weeks. After grossing Rs 90 crore in its first week worldwide, Yash Raj Films? Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi has crossed Rs 30 crore gross in its second weekend. In the second weekend, the total gross collections for all overseas markets are over $1.5 Million (Rs 7.5 cr).
A production house like UTV for instance releases films overseas in 30 countries and caters to the ?diaspora of the subcontinent.? When it releases films in Germany, France and Poland, it usually dubs it in the local language. According to Amrita Pandey, VP, international distribution and syndication, UTV Motion Pictures, a big Hindi film can easily gross Rs 30-40 crore at the overseas box-office from diaspora audiences. In 2008, while films like Jodhaa Akbar (UTV) and Race (UTV) did phenomenally well at the overseas box-office, movies like Jaane Tu? Ya Jaane Na with new star cast and A Wednesday also made a mark. Jodhaa Akbar collected Rs 31.5 crore at the overseas BO, while Race did business worth Rs 23 crore.
Says Pandey: ?In Dubai, A Wednesday grossed $100,000 just from six prints and we had released it during Ramzan. Audiences worldwide are looking forward to good Indian content.?
But the taste of the diaspora is clearly different as audience preferences across the US and the UK show. For instance, Mani Ratnam?s Dil Se didn?t do well in the UK, but the ?adventurous US audience? loved it. Ashutosh Gowarikar?s Swades did very well in the US, but got a lukewarm response elsewhere in the overseas markets. ?Big stars are a big draw,? says Pandey.
With the overseas market in growth mode, Shah says the marketing of films has changed too. ?Earlier, a distributor would market the film, now there?s a bigger marketing effort complete with star press conferences,? he adds. With the business getting bigger, there are many brand associations too. For example, Citi did a lot with Don and Saawariya in the UK market, while Makemytrip.com spent a lot to market Krissh in the US. ?The overseas market is a fast growing market for Bollywood films and the domestic market isn?t saturated either,? says Shah.
With a global financial crisis looming, things may not be all that rosy in 2009. ?People haven?t stopped watching movies,? says Pandey, even as she admits that because of the liquidity crunch, many films may not see a theatrical release in 2009. ?There?s a lot of content available, but will we have the multiplexes and the marketing spin to release the films?? she questions. Already, revenues from music and satellite rights are down. But that?s another story.
Beyond Kank
Yes, there have a number of films that have tried to depict the diaspora stories as well. Often made by ?arthouse? directors, the films have explored the angst that comes of being torn between two cultures. From east Asia to the Carribbean and the Big Apple. A look at some of the best portrayals:
•Bend It Like Beckham
Gurinder Chadha 2002
Community: Orthodox Sikh middle class immigrant family settled in the suburbs of UK
•Brothers IN trouble
Udayan Prasad 1995
Community: Illegal Pakistani Immigrants in England
•Mississippi Masala
Mira Nair 1991
Community: Indian-Ugandan family forced to relocate in Mississippi
•Monsoon Wedding
Mira Nair 2001
Community: Traditional Punjabi upper middle class family from Delhi
•My Son the Fanatic
Udayan Prasad 1997
Community: A lower-middle class Pakistani family settled in a small town in Britain
•The Namesake
Mira Nair 2006
Community: Traditional Bengali family from Kolkata settled in the US
•One Dollar Curry
Vijay Singh 2004
Community: An Indian Sikh seeks political refuge in Paris and produces a kitchen on wheels
