The Indian cinema industry is perhaps the biggest in the world and the number of people that watch movies is also perhaps the largest. Despite this the revenues generated in our industry are nowhere near the revenues generated say in Hollywood.
Cost of production in Hollywood is higher and the price ticket ($5-$12) range also higher. On the other hand cost of production locally and the price ticket ($1 - $4) in India is lower. This however also provides a unique arbitrage opportunity. We pride in our English speaking capabilities, so I wonder why we can't make movies that can transcend borders without difficulty? Will it be so difficult to make a movie in English that can do well in the Tier-I and Tier-II Indian cities as well as other international centres? Let's take the recent "Life in a ... Metro", which showcases life in a blossoming metropolitan city; the premise of the movie is applicable worldwide. Another option could be to make the movie in both Hindi and English (not dubbed), which could provide an even wider reach.
Many Chinese movies (predominantly from Hong-Kong) enjoy immense popularity with the Indian masses. Jackie Chan's movies and the martial-arts based movies are perhaps enjoyed the most. We should be able to take the reverse route too. Actors like Mithun Chakraborty and Rajnikanth are quite popular in other countries like Russia and Japan respectively, which is something we should use to our advantage. This might also lead to better acceptance of our actors in the international arena. Jet Li, Chow Yun Fat and Jackie Chan have all been part of major Hollywood blockbusters and the availability of their regional language cinema in the English language might be one of the reasons for their visibility and acceptance in the Hollywood industry.
Cost of production in Hollywood is higher and the price ticket ($5-$12) range also higher. On the other hand cost of production locally and the price ticket ($1 - $4) in India is lower. This however also provides a unique arbitrage opportunity. We pride in our English speaking capabilities, so I wonder why we can't make movies that can transcend borders without difficulty? Will it be so difficult to make a movie in English that can do well in the Tier-I and Tier-II Indian cities as well as other international centres? Let's take the recent "Life in a ... Metro", which showcases life in a blossoming metropolitan city; the premise of the movie is applicable worldwide. Another option could be to make the movie in both Hindi and English (not dubbed), which could provide an even wider reach.
Many Chinese movies (predominantly from Hong-Kong) enjoy immense popularity with the Indian masses. Jackie Chan's movies and the martial-arts based movies are perhaps enjoyed the most. We should be able to take the reverse route too. Actors like Mithun Chakraborty and Rajnikanth are quite popular in other countries like Russia and Japan respectively, which is something we should use to our advantage. This might also lead to better acceptance of our actors in the international arena. Jet Li, Chow Yun Fat and Jackie Chan have all been part of major Hollywood blockbusters and the availability of their regional language cinema in the English language might be one of the reasons for their visibility and acceptance in the Hollywood industry.
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