A night of song-and-dance in Macau showcased the best of Hindi cinema far from the magical, musical shores of Mumbai, the land where the term ‘Bollywood’ was born and bred as a distant, tan cousin of Hollywood. Now bigger than ever before, are you ready for an Asian invasion from the largest film industry in the world?
By
P. Ramakrishnan(ramakrishnanp @ hotmail. com)As the constellation of Indian stars descended in Macau, working the red carpet as it led to the copious and cavernous CotaiArena, at The Venetian Macao-Resort-Hotel, only a hall of its 15,000 seat capacity could shelter the largess of Bollywood and its fervid fans. The event, Zee Cine Awards, an annual affair that rewards the Hindi film industry’s best and brightest luminaries with a golden trophy on a dais littered with star dust. Many in the audience shelled out a dear dime to watch screen-icons live on stage, as a four-hour extravaganza, filled with song, dance and comic skits came alive far, far away from the film capital of the world, Mumbai.
The South-East Asian community (the Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis) descended en mass, filling coveted seats, as expected, but in the audience, there were many Macau residents, Chinese, Malaysian, Western faces, enraptured by the glitzy affair. Crossing cultural borders, the musical mayhem that lights Indian cinema finds a mélange of surprising fanatics.
Stella Choi, a PR representative from a major luxury brand, born and brought up in Macau, had a prime aisle-seat at the show at the Venetian. “I first saw the Indian film ‘3 Idiots’ on screen and loved it,” she says, with an unstoppable grin. “I loved it so much, I’ve seen it three times. And I can do the first steps in the song ‘All is well’ from the movie. I was so surprised that the college guy/actor in the film was 40 something years old! And the girls are all so pretty in movies.”
Indeed they are; with a bevy of beauty queens with silken sashes (six Miss Worlds, two Miss Universes and two Miss Asia Pacifics have all ended up on screen), it’s almost a prerequisite for a leading lady to enter the Hindi film industry with a sparkling tiara and title at hand. To break into Bollywood, it’s near impossible for an actor without a notable surname to make it to ‘hero’ status; the industry is notoriously nepotistic where nearly every contemporary actor is the son of… somebody with a film credential! The current lot of stars are mostly progeny of other actors, directors, writers and carry the rewards and burden of fame that comes with showbiz.
And what a business it is; with an average of over 800 films released each year in 24 Indian languages, the Indian film industry earns roughly US$2.2 billion. Budgets of Hindi films seem paltry when compared to American, the most expensive Indian films cost less than US$5 million to make. It’s not just the billion plus population of India, but beyond country lines, the entertainment industry finds audience and eye-balls from Georgia to Japan.
Which perhaps explains why the distinctly Indian show was staged in the foreign shores of Macau. Punit Goenka, Managing Director and CEO of Zee television network says, “With each edition of Zee Cine Awards, it has been our earnest endeavor to take Indian cinema in all its glory and splendor beyond national frontiers and leave a memorable footprint at an exciting new global destination each year. The response from Macau has been overwhelming to say the least.”
Concurring with Goenka, the CEO of one of the largest television networks in the world, Edward Tracy, President and CEO of Sands China Ltd, says, “The Venetian Macao couldn’t be happier about hosting the Zee Cine Awards this year. It’s such an outstanding event, and the CotaiArena is the perfect choice for a venue.”
With the telecast of the show to air on television in over 167 countries, 600 million viewers globally have the opportunity to watch the festivities. In comparison, this year’s Golden Globes hosted by Ricky Gervais saw 17 million viewers. For some, Pitt, Jolie and Cruise means nothing, where Bachchan, Khan and Kapoor resonate deeply.
Such is the mass appeal of Indian films that even Hollywood has to kowtow to the facts and figures; reports suggest over 1.8 billion people watch Western films (ie English language movies) each year, but over 2.8 billion pairs of eyes watch Hindi movies (not counting the other regional films that also churn out of India), either in its original format, or in subtitled, dubbed versions.
The numbers are astounding, and yet, as avant-guard Indian film director and producer Anurag Kashyap says, “Well, in the West, Bollywood is there for comic relief. Whenever we say the word Bollywood, they move their bodies, do a song-and-dance.”
Indeed they do. For all its international viewership, fiscal success and fanclubs, Hindi cinema doesn’t perhaps garner the respect or critical acclaim of an Akira Kurosawa film. Rarely will you see an Indian film listed in the Academy awards under the Best Foreign Film category. The escapist fare rarely does well at film distribution and exhibition fairs at Cannes or Korea. But does it matter?
When asked if he can be the cross-over star to jump into the Western hemisphere and bring Bollywood to the international arena, leading actor Shahrukh Khan says, “We don’t need to go to them, they are coming to us.”
At the press conference held at the Sicily Room Convention center at The Venetian Macao, international representatives from Singapore, UK, US, Fiji Islands and international cable networks had set up shop. When a blonde-blue eyed media rep from Time Out gushed to Shahrukh Khan in broken Hindi, “
Main aapki sabse badi fan hoon,” [I’m your biggest fan], Khan humbly held the palm of his hand to his heart and bowed.
The format of the Hindi film, with its requisite song and dance, is in fact what’s bringing in an increasing global audience. Despite its non-linear, often nonsensical narrative and the purple pleasures of its picture-perfect scenes and scenarios - the latest Hindi films are beautifully shot and have a technical finesse that’s a far cry from its predecessors - there’s an order in the chaos that provides real pleasure to the reel endeavor. This year, Khan’s own films premiered not just in regions with a strong South-East Asian population but in Germany, Japan and Russia. The fan-following in non-Hindi speaking Malaysia is so large, Khan received the title of "Datuk" (equivalent to British Knighthood) from the governor of Malaysia's southern Malacca state.
Gone are the days of dancing around trees, singers and Grammy-nominees Ashanti, Tina Turner, Akon have collaborated in Hindi films. The Black Eyed Peas, Kelly Rowland, Britney Spears, Ricky Martin have suffused Bollywood beats and tracks into their own. When Indian actors graced the stage of the Golden Globes last year to give an award, Emma Thompon and Paul McCartney whistled in delight at their sight.
Khan is more than right, Indian films are not shape shifting to suit audiences abroad, but the audience is adjusting its view of Hindi films.
As Time magazine columnist Richard Corliss, with a self-professed ‘diagnosis of Bollywood fever’, says, “A cinema marked by vigor, visual ingenuity, signposts to a land so remote and exotic it is measured in decades, or ten time zones. These are territories I can explore for years, yet not exhaust their riches.”
To be sure.
SIDE BAR
The A-to Zee of Bollywood, Cliff’s notes on the crème de la crème of Mumbai’s glitterati who glistered in Macau during an eventful weekend;
The Reign of Khan 
SHAHRUKH KHAN: Part of the trinity of Khans who are the definitive leading men of Bollywood (which also includes Aamir and Salman Khan - no relation) Shahrukh Khan, 46, is often called ‘King’ Khan for his unprecedented reign at the box-office. Perhaps the sole exception to the rule of being a leading man with no link nor lineage in the film industry, a once stage and television actor kicked off his remarkable cinematic career back in 1992. Two decades and 75+ film appearances later, he is one of the most influential (and wealthiest) men in Mumbai who brings his oft imitated and rarely repeated gimmicks and gumption to the screen.
The Seminal Scion
RANBIR KAPOOR: If ever there was one to the manor-born, it’s the fourth generation Kapoor, Ranbir, who’s family has been in the film industry since the 1920s. All the Kapoor men have been in the film industry in some way or form for so long, its hard to imagine the Hindi film industry without a Kapoor anecdote or antecedent. At age 25, when Ranbir appeared on screen after a brief tryst of studying abroad, the scion continued tradition as expected by gracing the silver-screen. As one of the young heartthrobs of the nation of a billion plus, Kapoor teeters well between being seen as a capable actor and a shirtless poster-boy.
The Dreamer, the DancerSHAHID KAPOOR: Perhaps better known for his stylised and indomitable dancing skills on screen and stage, young Shahid Kapoor has the burden of being the eldest son to multi-award winning actor and director Pankaj Kapoor - and the inevitable comparisons that arise with such a precedent. Though a competent actor of note, he dreams of being known more for his turn as a thespian instead of those perfect turns he does with a leading lady during an unforgettable song-and-dance routine.
The Beauty Queen
PRIYANKA CHOPRA: At age 19, Priyanka Chopra was one of the youngest beauty title holders (Miss World 2000) to slip into Bollywood and take it by storm. Unlike most of her contemporaries, Chopra has zero relatives linking her to the film industry; she’s the eldest daughter in a family of doctors. She won Miss India and Miss World consecutively over a decade ago, that garnered enough attention from film producers to make a beeline towards her crown and glory. With a quiet confidence and a killer bod, the wonderfully articulate Chopra is slowly etching a niche in the fiercely competitive industry.
The English Rose KATRINA KAIF: The anglo-Indian former model (with an English mum and a Kashmiri father) Katrina Kaif has made it to the upper echelons of Bollywood, one film at a time, polishing her once non-existent command of the film vernacular all the way to being a contender to the top slot. No one’s quiet sure of how to encapsulate the unprecedented success of Kaif, who’s mostly known for his polished demeanor more than her dialogue delivery. In a visual industry that relies heavily on a pretty picture and pulchritude, she makes for fine, refined pixels.
Beauty and the East
VIDYA BALAN: Actress Vidya Balan came into the game a little late, but she proved herself to be the game-changer. A versatile actress of note, Balan did over 300 commercials, acted on television and auditioned multiple times before she hit the screens in 2005. With classic south Indian looks, the curvy belle of the Bollywood ball is not model-size but is its model citizen. Known for her finely tuned performances and opting for roles and films of merit, Balan may not spin box-office gold all the time, but her performances go for gold every time.
