47 replies to this topic

[SDG]

Hey, does anyone know of anything Bollywood getting any kind of U.S. theatrical release in the next few months? I'm looking to do a piece on Bollywood and looking for a timeliness hook to hang it on.

[Anna J]

My Name is Khan just crushed US box-office records (for a Bollywood import, that is) last month. It's not playing in Seattle anymore, unfortunately, and I think you may have just missed the window elsewhere as well. Kites, edited for the U.S. by Brett Ratner (does that even count?) comes out in May.

[SDG]

Anna J, on 25 March 2010 - 03:16 PM, said:

My Name is Khan just crushed US box-office records (for a Bollywood import, that is) last month. It's not playing in Seattle anymore, unfortunately, and I think you may have just missed the window elsewhere as well. Kites, edited for the U.S. by Brett Ratner (does that even count?) comes out in May.

Thanks, Anna! Much appreciated.

Believe it or not, even May would exclude one publication I'm thinking about pitching the piece to ... Does anyone know of anything in the June - August range?

Otherwise I'll pitch it elsewhere...

[BethR]

A former student just tipped me off to a source for Indian films old and new: Indiaclub.com
The interface seems modeled on early amazon.com, and the site also offers books, food, and more. Given the current state of my finances, I probably won't be spending much time there, but if you absolutely, positively have to own the shooting scripts for the Apu trilogy, this is the place.

[BethR]

Anna J, on 25 March 2010 - 03:16 PM, said:

My Name is Khan just crushed US box-office records (for a Bollywood import, that is) last month. ...

I got about halfway through My Name Is Khan on DVD this morning before duty called, starting with most of the special features. So far, I'm liking it, and would recommend it to anyone who's avoiding "Bollywood" because they don't like the "musical" aspects. It's definitely a melodrama with a message, though.

[Darrel Manson]

Joint Hollywood-Bollywood film council

[Darrel Manson]

BethR, on 04 December 2006 - 08:04 AM, said:

I guess "Aishwarya Rai" in <i>Bride and Prejudice</i>, is the answer to the "When will a Bollywood star cross over?"

Perhaps Dhobi Ghat (Mumbai Diaries) is the answer to when a Bollywood film will cross over. No song and dance at all. It has some of the Bollywood theme of love across status lines, but doesn't buy into the love conquers all. In many ways it is more like a Western film (and I'm not referring to genre). It still, I think, carries some of the flavor of the culture.

Peepli (Live) also didn't have the song and dance, but had a bit more of the light-heartedness I associate with Bollywood.

[BethR]

Article in current issue of Utne Reader on Bollywood's cultural impact on Islamic fundamentalism: "Bollywood's Soft Power: India's Hugely Popular Films Wage a Cultural War on Extremism"

Quote

Just as the Beatles and rock ’n’ roll helped bring down the Kremlin, Bollywood might yet prove to be the undoing of the most noxious brand of Islamic fundamentalism.

...
The Middle East is Bollywood’s third-largest overseas market and growing so rapidly that many Bollywood movies now hold premiers in Dubai on opening night. Dubai is even erecting a Universal Studios–like Bollywood theme park. But the Muslim country most in the grip of Bollywood mania is Pakistan, India’s cultural twin in every respect but religion. As with the Beatles under communism, the more aggressively Pakistani authorities have tried to purge Bollywood from their soil, the more its popularity has grown.
Read more: http://www.utne.com/...x#ixzz1mmh1nQch

The writer goes on to discuss common Bollywood themes of religious reconciliation & confirming traditional family values, and notes that the big three male Bollywood stars are all moderate Muslims (e.g., Shahrukh Khan), as is one of the most successful music writers, A.R. Rahman, a Sufi.