BoxOffice® Pro - May 2012

WORLD
CINEMA
THE GROWING WORLD
OF INDIAN CINEMA
BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN BOLLYWOOD
AND HOLLYWOOD by Phil Contrino
My obsession with India’s
film culture started when
I began to see its residents
spending a lot of time on our
Facebook page and website.
I soon started to follow Facebook
pages devoted to Indian
movie stars, upcoming Bollywood
films and Bollywood
news, and it really hit home
that film fans in India are just
as obsessive as film fans in the
States. Case in point: when
Indian megastar Shah Rukh
Khan (or “SRK”) posts even a
casual thought about his kids,
he draws literally thousands
of “likes”—a level of interest
you only see here with Brad
Pitt. And, of course, when a
Bollywood film releases a new
trailer, fans are quick to either
heap praise on it or ruthlessly
tear it apart.
Before my own obsession with Bollywood, my major impression of
it was Slumdog Millionaire. Needless to say, I had catching up to do.
Since then I’ve dug in and watched tons of films—especially those of
SRK—in order to see what all the fuss is about. It quickly became clear
that Indian filmmakers are striving to achieve the same level of production
quality that American audiences take for granted, and they’re succeeding.
I was genuinely impressed by both the universal nature of the
storytelling and the technical prowess on display—a smart American
cinematographer could really learn a thing or two from their Indian
counterparts.
Giving the keynote address at the 2012 FICCI Frames convention
in Mumbai, MPAA chairman and CEO Chris Dodd highlighted a few
staggering facts about India’s film industry:
3.3 billion movie tickets are sold each year
The industry contributes an estimated $645 million a year to
the Indian economy
1.8 million jobs are supported by the industry
Cinema has the power to unite. Great films deal in emotions that
transcend race, religion and country of origin. There are few things
that millions upon millions of people in this world can say that they
have in common, but one of them is that they’ve seen Avatar.
In July 2012, the Cinema India Expo will bring together members
of our community from around the world to build on the potential of
Indian cinema by creating a bridge between America and India. Much
like America, India is currently facing the challenge of converting to
digital cinema. The transition has become necessary because not only
the industry but the consumers demand it.
“In the last two years, the box office has been reporting a growth of
more than 20 percent, and that’s thanks to digital cinema,” says Anil
continued on page 56
54 BOXOFFICE PRO MAY 2012