Focus

Foreign films never had it so good

*** Business crosses Rs 400 million barrier
*** Viewership shoots up to 50 million
The business of foreign films in India has shot up to Rs 400 million, as against Rs 38 million in 1992. This is thanks largely to the increase in attendance at cinema halls exhibiting these films. Where as admissions in cinemas were barely 8 million in 1992, they had shot up to 47 million in 1998, and may well have crossed the 50 million barrier by May 2000. This marked increase in box-office performance as well as admissions is being attributed largely to the continuing failure of Indian films in the domestic market...

IT PAYS TO THINK ‘BIG’
Aditya Shastri
Twentieth Century Fox
According to Aditya Shastri, chief of Twentieth Century Fox in India, the demand for foreign films is increasing in the Indian market owing to the sustained quality of the releases during the period under review. It also helped that movies like Jurassic Park, Titanic, Godzilla and Independence, that were mounted big, in an obvious ploy to woo moviebuffs back to big screen entertainment, were released during the period.

"The period from 1992 to 2000 may be described as a period of consolidation for Hollywood films in India. Hollywood has made movies that appeal across the world. Theatrical business had indeed been affected by the video. That’s why Hollywood began to make the kind of movies that would be best appreciated on the big screen, films that don’t lend themselves quite so well to video. Films like Jurassic Park, Independence Day, Titanic and Godzilla were all mounted big, as you will recall. They were made to enhance the movie-going experience. Contrast this with India, where the Indian industry has stuck to making films that can also be enjoyed just as much on video. We’ve also been wedded to stereotyped subjects, with emphasis on the emotions. And the audience sees no reason why it should rush to see the films in theatres, when they can be seen on video in the comfort of their homes. However, whenever good films like Border came along, the audience has eagerly lapped it up," said Shastri.

Dubbing has little to do with it
ADITYA Shastri feels the increase in admissions for foreign films and the box-office collections were not entirely owing to the entry of dubbed foreign films in Indian languages, as has been generally made out by the industry. "All dubbed films have not done well at the box-office, if you can remember. Except of course for movies like Mummy and Deep Blue Sea. Hollywood’s growing market in India has less to do with the dubbing than with the basic quality of its films. Unlike the Indian banners, the Hollywood majors have conducted systematic studies of the performance of films, and have consistently kept improving the basic quality of the films, in addition to using effective, innovative methods of marketing. The strength of Hollywood lies in recognising and absorbing good talent into its fold. This is not restricted to Americans alone, but includes talents from all over the world. That is why you have Shekhar Kapur and Manoj Night Shyamalan from India, John Woo and Jackie Chan from Hong Kong and Englishman Sam Mendes of American Beauty fame getting all the opportunity they need to do their best, and enrich Hollywood. Hollywood, by its very nature, is not about America alone, but embraces talent from the world over," says Shastri.

Indifilms deserve better deal
As against this scenario of foreign films in India, Indian films are also doing increasingly well at the box-office in the US and other territories abroad. "As an industry, Indian films have high potential. Dil Se was rated No 10 at the box-office, which was unheard of in the past. All A grade films are doing extraordinary business abroad. It’s time Indian films were marketed to their strengths abroad. They deserve to be," concluded Aditya Shastri.

7 crore to 60 crore in four years
Uday Singh
Columbia Tristar
UDAY Singh, chief of Columbia Pictures in India, threw more light on the performance of foreign films in the country. He said his company had grossed between Rs 7 crore and 8 crore in 1996, but its takings from India shot up to Rs 55-60 crore by March 2000. All in the matter of four years.

"We have not only been dubbing our films in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu but have also begun distributing Indian films in India like Pyar Mein Kabhie Kabhie. We will distribute more Indian films in the near future," he added.

An annual growth rate of 100%
Talking about the performance of his company’s films at the Indian box-office, Uday Singh said they had taken out 163 prints of Godzilla in four languages, 125 prints of Anaconda, 100 prints of End of The Day and so on. "By adopting better marketing strategies for our films, we have been able to increase our penetration in the Indian market."

Columbia Tristar’s annual growth rate could well be the envy of information technology outfits. "Columbia has been consistently increasing its annual growth. We’ve had a compounded annual growth rate of almost 100 per cent," Singh concludes.

MSM Desai