Bollywood goes global

Here's globalisation in action making the popular Bollywood film industry a major entertainment brand worldwide.

Mumbai film crews are increasingly filming in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States, continental Europe and elsewhere. Nowadays, Indian producers are winning more and more funding for big-budget films shot within India as well, such as Lagaan, Devdas and the just released film Saawariya starring the deutants Ranbir Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. As the first Bollywood film to be co-produced and financed by a Hollywood studio, Saawariya is an example of globalization reaching across far distances and cultures. The movie is the first product of a recent wave of alliances between Indian producers and the likes of Disney, Warner and Sony which backed Saawariya, released worldwide on Friday.

When Shah Rukh Khan, Bollywood’s most popular star, arrived on the red carpet launch of his film Om Shanti Om in London, he spelled out his ambition: “I want to make the first Indian film that the whole world will watch.”

The night before the Om Shanti Om bandwagon rolled into London, rival 'Saawariya' had its world premiere in New York. Saawariya is the first Bollywood film produced by a leading Hollywood studio, Sony, and the two films have been vying for publicity in the Indian media before their release on Diwali, 9th November, traditionally a peak box-office slot.