Initially, it was the multi-starrer thingy and item numbers which created spark and acted like an X factor for a film to do well at the box office, but things are gradually changing year after year. Nowadays it’s the westernization facet which is doing the trick for bollywood. Recently movies like Kambakkht Ishq, Love Aaj Kal and Blue brought this élan into the film industry.
Hollywood celebs are making their way into the Bollywood film industry. Be it supermodels or reputed pop singers or classic actors of main stream cinema, you name it and we have it. Critics may criticize Bollywood against Hollywood when they compare the two with chagrining facts like, Bollywood made a revenue of $1.75 Billion in 2006 which is only half the revenue of what one Hollywood studio, Walt Disney made in 2006. But there is verity in the sentence that, Hollywood is fascinated by Bollywood. Bollywood has a lot to offer to Hollywood and likewise Bollywood can take notes from Hollywood.
Which is better? The debate can go on and on. One might say that there is no debate as Hollywood is way ahead than Bollywood. For example, the hard sell surrounding Bollywood’s increasing influence in the world film industry, it is a long way from being a threat to Hollywood’s influence. Revenue-wise Hollywood movies does not depend on ticket sales alone. It follows the time-tested ‘franchise-formula’ where a main part of the revenue or profit comes from other segments like TV networks, magazines, home-videos etc. Of course, Bollywood is eyeing the same line but it is too early to say if a successful process is in place. But just the profits and loses, the mechanical process and the technologies ain’t the only thing that one should take into consideration because there is a lot of aspects to look into.
The major difference between Hollywood and Bollywood commercial movies is that Indian films possess a must feature of periodic song-and-dance routines of 5 to 10 minutes each, in a good movie. Top 100 disco songs is most selling album in Indian history. Songs are recorded by professional play-back singers and lip synched by movie characters normally actors and actresses. Whereas in Hollywood such things don’t exist, hence they are fascinated towards Bollywood. Bolywood films have anything and everything just like a Santa Claus gift bag and Hollywood aims more at the cinematic experience.
But as the things are coming down nowadays, would we see Bollywood and Hollywood merge? Especially after the feat which Slumdog Millionaire achieved, are we in for seeing more movies wherein Bollywood coalesce with Hollywood? In the near future Barbara Mori will be seen pairing with Hrithik Roshan for the film Kites and we will see Anupam Kher feature in Hollywood’s ace director Woody Allen’s untitled project. After Slumdog Millionaire, the gap between Bollywood and Hollywood has shortened and it is becoming a mutual thingy. If this is for things to come, then very soon we might see Sylvester Stallone going around the trees with Mallika Sherawat and Hrithik Roshan playing James Bond.
Hollywood celebs are making their way into the Bollywood film industry. Be it supermodels or reputed pop singers or classic actors of main stream cinema, you name it and we have it. Critics may criticize Bollywood against Hollywood when they compare the two with chagrining facts like, Bollywood made a revenue of $1.75 Billion in 2006 which is only half the revenue of what one Hollywood studio, Walt Disney made in 2006. But there is verity in the sentence that, Hollywood is fascinated by Bollywood. Bollywood has a lot to offer to Hollywood and likewise Bollywood can take notes from Hollywood.
Which is better? The debate can go on and on. One might say that there is no debate as Hollywood is way ahead than Bollywood. For example, the hard sell surrounding Bollywood’s increasing influence in the world film industry, it is a long way from being a threat to Hollywood’s influence. Revenue-wise Hollywood movies does not depend on ticket sales alone. It follows the time-tested ‘franchise-formula’ where a main part of the revenue or profit comes from other segments like TV networks, magazines, home-videos etc. Of course, Bollywood is eyeing the same line but it is too early to say if a successful process is in place. But just the profits and loses, the mechanical process and the technologies ain’t the only thing that one should take into consideration because there is a lot of aspects to look into.
The major difference between Hollywood and Bollywood commercial movies is that Indian films possess a must feature of periodic song-and-dance routines of 5 to 10 minutes each, in a good movie. Top 100 disco songs is most selling album in Indian history. Songs are recorded by professional play-back singers and lip synched by movie characters normally actors and actresses. Whereas in Hollywood such things don’t exist, hence they are fascinated towards Bollywood. Bolywood films have anything and everything just like a Santa Claus gift bag and Hollywood aims more at the cinematic experience.
But as the things are coming down nowadays, would we see Bollywood and Hollywood merge? Especially after the feat which Slumdog Millionaire achieved, are we in for seeing more movies wherein Bollywood coalesce with Hollywood? In the near future Barbara Mori will be seen pairing with Hrithik Roshan for the film Kites and we will see Anupam Kher feature in Hollywood’s ace director Woody Allen’s untitled project. After Slumdog Millionaire, the gap between Bollywood and Hollywood has shortened and it is becoming a mutual thingy. If this is for things to come, then very soon we might see Sylvester Stallone going around the trees with Mallika Sherawat and Hrithik Roshan playing James Bond.