Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Strategies & Market Trends : India Coffee House -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Mohan Marette who wrote (9926)	12/5/1999 11:16:00 PM
From: Mohan Marette	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 12475

Hindi films sweep British movie charts New Delhi, Dec 5 Hindi films are fast climbing the popularity charts in Britain with some of them like 'Hum Saath Saath Hain'and 'Dil Kya Kare' edging out even Hollywood movies from the top ten charts. Sooraj Barjatya's family drama 'Hum Saath Saath Hain' (HSSH), which is already drawing huge crowds all over India, is tipped to become the biggest grossing Hindi movie outside India. Despite being shown in only 28 screens in Britain, HSSH entered the UK top ten charts at No 9 in its opening week, pushing movies like the new Steve Martin comedy 'The Out-of-towners' and 'Star Wars: The Phantom Menace' out of the top ten ratings, the 'Times' reports. Also, multiplexes in Britain which, till a year ago, were averse to screening Asian films, are queuing up to show HSSH. In the US also, the film has already grossed $ 1.6 million, the report says. Ever since Hindi films were introduced in British cinema halls a year ago, Britain has become the largest market for Bollywood movies outside India, with audiences being drawn not only from the three-million-strong Asian community but also from the local white population. All this is largely due to the westernised themes and better production standards of movies made by film makers like Subhash Ghai, Karan Johar and Mani Ratnam, to name a few. Recent weeks have seen as many as nine Bollywood movies being screened a cinemas in the Greater London area. British cinema-goers lifted at record five Bollywood movies in the weekly top ten charts last year. In fact, films like HSSH and Dil Kya Kare, being screened at the 14-screen Cineworld at Feltham, West London, are outperforming movies like 'Fight Club' and the 'Blair Witch Project', which are believed to be popular among the local white population. Says Imran DChaudhry, manager of Cineworld: 'We started showing Bollywood movies a year ago and the response has been great. HSSH was selling out two 350-seat screens at the weekend.' The audiences are largely made up of Asian families, drawn from surrounding communities of Southall and Hounslow, but that is beginning to change, he said. 'Asians are bringing their white friends, who need to be reassured that there are subtitles. HSSH is a good film for all families because it has a strong cast and a strong story,' he said. "The reason for the increasing success of Hindi films in overseas markets is due to the fact that an increasing number of directors are looking to tailor their films to Western audiences," Chaudhry said. According to Jyoti Deshpande, marketing director of Eros International, the UK distributors of HSSH, who earlier also distributed films like Taal and Dil Se on the British circuit, 'There are increasing references to London in the scripts of recent movies and British-Asian characters are casted and their scenes filmed in London. For example, Scotland has become a popular location.' 'Bollywood has crept up in British box offices without the industry realising, but now cineplexes see it as a way to get the families back to the cinema halls. Bollywood action films do not work so well with British audiences but romantic films do. The HSSH story has been treated in a modern way so that teenage audiences can empathise with the characters too,'she said. Encouraged by the success of HSSH and Taal, Eros, which earlier fought a 15-year battle to convince multiplex cinemas in Britain to screen Asian films, is now helping Bollywood directors to write screenplays that suit the growing British audience. 'However, the British audiences will still have to contend with three-hour-long films, that could test their patience, as we do not want to lose our current audience from the Asian community. Erotic scenes are still out,' Deshpande says. UNI