By Rama Gaind
Indian cinema is a solid, colourful representative of Bollywood overseas. It is also the primary connection to their homeland for Indians living abroad.
So when the 11th International Indian Film Academy (IFFA) awards ceremony, held in Sri Lanka in June 2010, is telecast globally it will be viewed by close to an estimated half a billion people.
Bollywood’s equivalent of Hollywood’s Academy Awards, IIFA has been touted as one of the world’s most watched events.
The star-studded awards night will be broadcast in Australia and New Zealand on the Vision Asia network through Star Plus on July 19, 2010 (and repeated on July 26). This channel alone reaches more than 600 million viewers world-wide.
Bollywood appeal for NRIs
Member of Indian Parliament and former senior U.N. official Dr Shashi Tharoor best summed up the appeal of Bollywood at the IIFA ceremony: “Hindi cinema is India’s most successful brand ambassador”.
The appreciation by non-resident Indians of their Bollywood ambassadors was evident at the IIFA weekend when numerous groups huddled waiting patiently to catch a glimpse of their idol, capture them on camera or stop them to get an autograph.
IIFA was created over a decade ago to promote Indian films abroad. Former Miss World Aishwarya Rai Bachchan may have acted in several Hollywood movies and appeared on the Oprah show (with husband and fellow actor Abhishek Bachchan), but outside of India, the biggest Hindi film fans are non-resident Indians.
Analysts say that international ticket sales account for between 15% and 25% of the money made in theatres in Indian films. For some films, that figure can be as high as 50%.
It’s interesting to note that the taste for films by non-resident Indians (NRIs) are dissimilar to those of their fellow countrymen and women back home.
In years gone by, there have been films like ‘Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna’, ‘Don’ and ‘Salam-E-Ishq’ which have played well at home, but proved to be blockbusters overseas.
Hindi film actor Anupam Kher describes this trend as a “certain escape” that’s craved by NRIs through movies like ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ and ‘New York’.
A veteran of more than 300 films, Anupam Kher believes that stars like Shah Rukh Khan are the “icons of Indians abroad”.
Expatriate Indians need Hindi cinema to stay in touch with ‘home’. Big budget films – and equally big name stars – are the salvation for expatriate Indians. Delivering on demand are directors like Yash Chopra and Karan Johar who have recognised the successful formula for NRIs: enticing international locations, big budgets and impressive themes involving family and home that are sure to touch the heart.
No doubt, this ‘modus operandi’ is here to stay.
