MOVIES: Bollywood Raises Its Profile in the U.S.

Bollywood Raises Its Profile in the U.S.

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR GITESH PANDYA & ASEEM CHHABRA, FILM GUYS

On Monday afternoons, SAJAer Gitesh Pandya, who runs BoxOfficeGuru.com, sends out his report on weekend grosses. But this Monday, Aug. 14, there was something unusual buried in there - news about the biggest Bollywood opening in U.S. history. It's for a movie called "Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna," which stars some major Bollywood names and is directed by Karan Johan. It's part of a trend of Indian films being set and shot in the South Asian diaspora; this one in New York City.

Here's what Pandya had to say in his report, in part:

India's "Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna" (Never Say Goodbye) set a new opening weekend record for Bollywood films in North America bowing to a stellar $1.4M from 64 locations for a potent $21,122 average. The three-hour-plus extravaganza from Yash Raj Films was shot in New York City and tells of two soul mates, married to other people, who tackle the notion of true love. The previous record for a Bollywood opening was $1M for 2001's "Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham" which was also directed by Karan Johar. KANK scored the best per-theater average of any film in the Top 40.

To provide some context about Bollywood's rising profile in the U.S., SAJAforum turned to Pandya and to another SAJAer who does a lot of film-related journalism and wrote a review about "KANK" - freelancer Aseem Chhabra. We asked them five questions each, with only question #5 being the same. Here is what they said, via e-mail...

[As of Thursday, Aug. 17, 2006, "KANK" is the fourth-most searched-for movie on NYTimes.com]

 

[Dec. 2006 UPDATE: See SAJAforum post on Bollywood movies breaking US box office records]

Five Questions for Gitesh Pandya, editor, BoxOfficeGuru.com

SAJAforum.org: It seems to me that "KANK" is the latest of a series of really big movies that make a get a big push into America. I am thinking of "K3G," eg. Am I imagining it? Tell us about the push it's getting?
PANDYA: "KANK" was given the widest release ever for a Bollywood film in North America and opened this past weekend on 95 screens in a total of 64 theater locations. The previous record was 88 screens for 2004's "Veer-Zaara" which also starred Shah Rukh Khan, Rani Mukherji, Preity Zinta, and Amitabh Bachchan. The final weekend gross for "KANK" has broken the all-time opening-weekend record for a Bollywood film, which director Karan Johar previously held. That record was set in December 2001 by "Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham" (K3G), which grossed $1 million from 73 screens on its opening weekend.

"KANK" was especially impressive at New Jersey's Regal Commerce Center in North Brunswick where the film grossed an astounding $61,470 over the weekend from two screens. Typically, grossing $10,000 on a weekend is a major achievement. This 18-screen multiplex plays mostly Hollywood films, but also does phenomenal business from Bollywood films thanks to its location in the heart of one of America's largest South Asian communities. Hopefully, KANK's strong numbers will encourage other American multiplexes in major markets to start programming Bollywood pictures.

2006 has been a big comeback year for the industry. Screen counts for this year's other big Bollywood films were 61 for January's "Rang De Basanti," 72 for May's "Fanaa," and 59 for June's "Krrish." For the most part, the marketing push has been about the same for all of these big hits this year.

SAJAforum.org: With so many movies being made each year, what/who determines that a movie gets such a big push?
PANDYA:Those films with the most commercial potential usually end up being released theatrically by one of the A-list Indian distributors. Among the major factors determining a film's potential are starpower, music, and concept. Other films end up being released by B-list distributors, go direct to DVD, or never see a release in the US market at all.

SAJAforum.org: I see the NYT has reviewed the movie. Can you explain NYT's relationship with Bollywood and typically, how many Bollywood movies does it review? Is there a regular person who does, it, etc...
PANDYA: I also serve as a media consultant to filmmakers and distributors so I invite the NY Times and other US film critics to the press screenings for various Bollywood films. This way they can run reviews and give exposure to these films to American readers who may otherwise never hear about them. Bollywood press screenings can often be past the deadlines that US papers have, however I've found that the NY Times has been good over the years about working around these constraints and making sure they run a review which can be widely read in print and online. The number of Bollywood films they review in a year might only be about a half-dozen and there is no regular critic who covers them.

SAJAforum.org: How much business can a desi really movie do? Can you list us the top five of all time and give us some context?
PANDYA: A handful of Bollywood films have grossed more than $2 million at the North American box office and two have approached the $3 million mark. Not all Indian distributors report their grosses and in some cases, they report for a couple of weeks and then stop so it's difficult to have a true chart of the top films. But among the tops are:

$2.9M Veer-Zaara
$2.9M K3G
$2.4M KANK (as of 8/20/06)
$2.2M Rang De Basanti
$2.1M Fanaa

Devdas is also considered to be among the top five, but its box office numbers were not reported properly at the time of release and so it's hard to say exactly where it ended up. Aside from the theatrical box office, there is additional revenue earned through home video, soundtracks, satellite tv rights, VOD, and other ancillary streams.

SAJAforum.org: Are non-desi Americans really going to Bollywood films?
PANDYA: There has been growth in the popularity of Bollywood films with non-desis in the US, however the vast majority of ticket sales still come from South Asians. I think with a few fundamental changes in marketing and distribution, these films can have greater penetration into the non-desi audience. I don't think our three-hour song-and-dance extravaganzas are going to become huge with mainstream Americans anytime soon. But the number of Americans who like foreign and independent cinema far outweighs the entire South Asian population in the US, in my opinion, so there is tremendous potential for the audience for Bollywood films to grow.

Gitesh's e-mail: gitesh[at]boxofficeguru.com

- - -

Five Questions for Aseem Chhabra, freelance journalist
(photo by Paresh Gandhi)

SAJAforum.org: I see you reviewed KANK for Rediff. Why would they want a NYer to review this when it's already run in India?
CHHABRA: Rediff.com reviews Bollywood films, but most are written by their staff in Mumbai. Since KANK was shot in New York and the characters are supposed to be NYC-based desis, the editor wanted an NRI perspective. In the past I have written a couple of columns for Rediff on Bollywood films with New York/US/NRI focus. Here are two links:

• What Went Wrong with KHNH
• Swades Spoke to Me

SAJAforum.org: You write about Bollywood for both Indian and U.S. publications. Have you tried selling any KANK-related stories? Or do you have to wait to see what kind of BO it will do?
CHHABRA: KANK has opened only in the Indian market in the US. It's not just a question box office. Bollywood films have NOT crossed over into mainstream or even art house theaters in the US. The Sony Classics experiment with Lagaan (it was released in a few art house theaters, including Film Forum in Manhattan) was just that -- an experiment, with no significant results. So far the only Indian/South Asian films that have succeeded in the US mainstream (more like art house) market are Bend it Like Beckham (grossed over $32 million) and Monsoon Wedding ($13.9 million) and maybe Water. I doubt if KANK will come anywhere near these films.

So it makes no sense for me to pitch a KANK story to the mainstream press here. Most editors will have no idea what this film is.

SAJAforum.org: Why do SOME Bollywood films get these acronyms that catch fire? KANK, K3G, DDLJ, QSQT, etc? Can you explain the phenomenon and put any history you know about this (was QSQT the first big one?) Hollywood doesn't do this? We didn't call it 4WAF, for eg, or TLINTW.
CHHABRA: Hey, what about MI: 3? But to answer your question -- I think these acronyms are the creation of the new hip film-going generation in India. You are right -- I think QSQT was the first. Did you know that Karan Johar is now referred to as KJo (like that woman who we call JLo here) and of course, everyone knows that Shah Rukh Khan is referred to as SRK. Amitabh is AB and Abhishek is AB Jr.

SAJAforum.org: And what's with the recycling of lines/song titles from old movies becoming names of new movies? Seems routine these days.
CHHABRA: Everything is recycled in Bollywood -- films stories (Bollywood is currently remaking Umrao Jaan and Sahib, Bibi Aur Ghulam), titles (there have been two Barsaats since Raj Kapoor's original; one Barsaat Ki Raat, after the original Madhubala film) -- and Bollywood is notorious for recycling successful Hollywood, and now even Asian films (the recent Zinda was an exact copy of the award winning film Old Boy from Korea).

So why not film titles? People in India are familiar with old songs and perhaps it is easy for them to relate to film titles that are recycled from old songs. BTW, I think KANK's title song is quite weak -- especially if you think of the classic Kishore Kumar song -- Chalte, Chalte, Mere Yeh Geet Yaad Rakhna, Khabhi Alvida Naa Kehna...

SAJAforum.org: Are non-desi Americans really going to Bollywood films?
CHHABRA: Some will see KANK. In fact, this Friday I watched the film with three American women (they loved the film -- laughed and cried; but I wasn't impressed by the film). But the number of non-desi Americans watching Bollywood films is still very small -- especially if you look at Americans who go for other foreign language films -- European and mostly recently Asian films.

Incidentally, I had been tracking American extras (and other American Bollywood watchers) who appeared in KANK. Here are some of the stories...

http://in.rediff.com/movies/2006/aug/03aseem.htm

http://www.rediff.com/movies/2005/oct/31kank.htm

http://www.mumbaimirror.com/nmirror/search/mmsearch.asp?query=&sectid=14&articleid=813200602554681320060055281&pubyear=2006&pubday=13&pubmth=8

Aseem's e-mail: chhabs[at]aol.com

[Dec. 2006 UPDATE: See SAJAforum post on Bollywood movies breaking US box office records]

Comments

[sandeep bhattacharjee]

I think Karan Johar should stop not just making movies but a lot of other things. Primarily, he should stop ruining the career of a talented actor like shahrukh. anyone who doesnt agree with this should watch Swades, Darr and Baazigar. Khan is a talented actor but his association with Johar
will ruin him. he should start working with good directors like ashutosh. for romantic roles he should only trust Yash Chopra. remember Veer Zaara and DDLJ??

[Farida Hariyanawala]

Here's my own take on Bollywood in the US, a story that appeared in the Queens Chronicle:
http://www.zwire.com/site/index.cfm?newsid=16862940&BRD=2731&PAG=461&dept_id=574995&rfi=8

and a review of KANK:
http://www.zwire.com/site/index.cfm?newsid=17066953&BRD=2731&PAG=461&dept_id=574995&rfi=8

[palvi gulati]

For one thing, I really don't think movies with stars like Shahrukh and Amitabh really need a push as SAJA has discussed. Add to it, Preity Zinta and Rani and Abhishek, i don't think this movie really got any big push here. Desi's in US or UK will watch a Karan Johar whether to praise it or to criticise it. And hence the reason more theatres air the movie.

[Lisa Tsering]

Thanks, Gitesh and Aseem, for some clear-headed and knowledgeable analysis!
Aseem, you are so right when you say Bollywood films are not going to cross over with success any time soon.
This is simply because the distributors have no idea how to market to the mainstream -- how to build interest among editorial decision-makers, how to push the music as a selling point, even how to put together a decent, user-friendly press kit.
Oh well, even if Bollywood remains a "cult" attraction here in Amrika, that's okay I guess. Fewer folks to elbow me on my way to the samosa stand at intermission.

[Filmiholic]

I think the acronyms is also just a result of the titles being rather long. It's an easy SMS way to refer to them, though not terribly pretty.

The current one, KANK, brings to mind the word "skank", when not "canker" (as Manish Vij alluded to in his lambasting of Kabhi Alvida on his ultrabrown.com).

On the whole borrowing business, what cracks me up is how self-referential Bollywood has become in recent years, especially musically. Aside from the movies that have had characters saying or singing Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya's "Just Chill" this year, what really strikes me is those few opening bars of DDLJ's "Tujhe Dekha To" and how they've become an instant shorthand for the suggestion of romance between two people.

I've heard it in a bunch of movies I've watched this summer, including Kabhi Alvida and Mr. ya Miss (sobre gustos hay nada escrito, as they say). I've actually started keeping rack on a list.

[aseem chhabra]

Palvi, you are right when you say that desis in the US & UK will go to a Karan Johar movie (espcially if it has a large star cast). But don't forget that Kaal -- Johar's last production (he produced it), with a large star cast and an item number by SRK, had a weak box office.

But the fact that KANK got the widest release is important -- that is one of the reasons why it broke all Bollywood box office records in North America. More screens means more dollars. The film is selling by itself -- and it is also critic/review proof.

[Jeevika]

Jeevika: South Asia Documentary Festival, which began in 2003, aims at capturing the livelihood challenges faced by the rural and urban poor and bringing it to the attention of current and future policy makers. Over the years, Jeevika has been successful in advocating for the cause of numerous entry-level entrepreneurs - rickshaw pullers, street vendors, prostitutes, child labour, farmers and forest-dwellers.

The premier event of the festival to be held at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi will be the awards ceremony from 20-23rd July 2007, which will culminate four days of screening for the top films. The last date for the submitting the entries is May 31, 2007

In addition as part of the festival tour, the award-winning films will travel and be screened in premier schools and colleges in over 20 states in India and other organisations working on livelihood issues as well as in our South Asian neighbours.

Over the years, Jeevika has become an increasingly popular and news-worthy event as well as an important catalyst for positive social change. The Film-makers whose films have been showcased in the past include Rakesh Sharma (of the Final Solution fame), Sanjay Barnela (Turf Wars) and Shohini Ghosh (Tales of the Night Fairies).

For further details, please log on : www.ccs.in/jeevika