Years ago when a number of corporate players forayed into disorganised Bollywood, their traditional counterparts were busy outlining how far the tie-clad manager would be successful in venturing into their private turf. A number of age-old trade pundits believed that as this was a business for insiders and that the new-age businessmen would in no time meet their inevitable faith?death.
Our domain expertise and knowledge of industry mechanics threw up major question marks. I remember a self-proclaimed trade expert confidently telling me, ?Corporates are here for the business of filmmaking whereas the traditional sole proprietor producers are here for the passion. Passion will always rule.?
While the longevity of corporate players remains to be seen, what is certainly no bone of contention is that a handful of real corporate players?and some chaotic set-ups masquerading as corporates, are ruling the Bollywood roost, while the supremacy of the conventional filmmakers has hastily faded away. That said, corporatisation has not done away with Bollywood?s feudal system. Not many are chasing a good script as much as they?re chasing a good deal.
However, the individual producers are far from complaining. The traditional lot has promptly swapped their so-called ?passion? with the ?business? to snap up multi-million deals.
With an incredible amount of private and public investment flowing into the Indian motion picture industry, the stakes are getting ridiculously higher, and by the minute. The dotcom boom years ago saw the rules of the game change overnight?Bollywood has gone a step ahead?the new textbooks are marked by a distinct absence of rules?and the game, for one, has moved from interesting to dangerous. The current beneficiaries, the actors and producers, are enjoying a thick crust of the boom-time pie till so long as it lasts.
Hollywood titles
The UK, one of the biggest overseas markets for cinema, may have been at the receiving end of some miserable wet weather in the months gone by, but that has not appeared to have dampened the spirits of the box-office for Hollywood titles.
In fact, we?ve seen a record-breaking number of ticket sales last month. According to The Film Distributors Association 21.8 million cinema visits were made in July, the equivalent of one in three of the population. So far this summer, five releases?Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Shrek the Third, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World?s End, The Simpsons Movie and Spider-Man 3 have broken into the top 30 of the UK?s all-time records box-office successes. In sharp contrast, Bollywood 2007 in the UK is yet to see its ?1million grosser in the UK. We?re eight months into the year and no sign of one, considering 2006 saw as many as four?Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, Don, Dhoom:2, Fanaa, doing well over a million.
?The author is head of UK & Europe?International Motion Pictures?at Studio 18. He may be reached at garg.tan@gmail.com