A Passage to HollywoodA Passage to HollywoodAki NaitoPatrick OldsKristin ParteeMichael Stevenhagen

““Bollywood”Bollywood”It is the informal term popularly

used for the Mumbai-based Hindi language film industry in India

People refer to “Bollywood” as the low-budget cousin of Hollywood

Many “Bollywood” movies include sequences of song and dance

History of “Bollywood”History of “Bollywood”Indian cinema has flourished since the

1930s. Indian filmmakers produced movies ranging from Indian mythology to romantic musicals

Violent gangster movies and action films became popular in the 1960s and the 1970s

Recently, the Indian film industry has leaned towards creating small independent films that feature unknown actors.

Coming to AmericaComing to AmericaWithin the past few years,

movies from “Bollywood” have made an impact in America.

A recent example is the critically acclaimed movie, Slumdog Millionaire.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIzbwV7on6Q

Crossover Films: PastCrossover Films: Past“Saawariya” (2007)

◦The first Bollywood movie released by a Hollywood studio

“Slumdog Millionaire” (2008)◦Shot in the slums of Mumbai◦10 Academy Award nominations

Chandni Chowk to China◦First Hindi film of Warner Bros.

Picture

Crossover Films: Crossover Films: UpcomingUpcoming“Hisss” (Fall of 2009)

◦A horror film based on the ancient myth of a snake goddess

◦Produced by India’s Split Image Pictures studio

◦Directed by American director, Jennifer Lynch

◦Features American actor, Jeff Doucette and Bollywood actors, Mallika Sherawat and Irrfan Khan

Stars of Indian FilmStars of Indian Film

Three most sought-after actors◦ Shahrukh Khan◦ Abhishek Bachchan

Son of Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan

◦ Aamir Khan Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan

◦ Married to Abhishek Bachchan

Akshay Kumar◦ Starring in “Chandni

Chowk to China”

Why Bollywood?Why Bollywood?Bollywood Hollywood

$20 million for major films

1,200 movies released in 2007

$100 million for major films

600 movies released in 2007

Growing Indian Film Growing Indian Film IndustryIndustryGrowing at a rate of 15%

annually Projected to grow from $1.9

billion in 2007 to $4 billion in 2012

Back in the US, attendance at movies fell 5% in 2008 and sales fell to $9.6 billion

Obstacles of Expanding Obstacles of Expanding Relationship Relationship Many films from “Bollywood” end

up becoming a flop in AmericaAmerican films only account for

about 5% of the movies watched in India

There is a language barrier, with Americans speaking English and Indians speaking Hindi

Different cinematic techniques are used in each country

Steps to a successful Steps to a successful relationshiprelationshipFor Indian movies, such as Hisss,

to be released in America, it is imperative that an American distributor picks it up

Patience is needed to deal with the language barrier

American and Indian film-makers must be willing to compromise to create a film that both Americans and Indians will enjoy

Future of “Bollywood” Future of “Bollywood” filmsfilmsSony is involved in six films set to

be released in India in 2009. Disney is currently developing

four films to be released in India.Warner Brothers is set to release

four movies in India in 2009.Indian company Reliance

recently purchased 240 movie screens in America.

Future, Continued…Future, Continued…The Independent Film Channel

plans to start showing Hindi films regularly this spring

Saavn, a NY based company, is focused on bringing Indian movies to America

One of Saavn’s employees said, “"This is the year. There's a lot of talent integration East and West."

Questions?