CINEMA
Bollywood scores Down Under
NEENA BHANDARI
|
Indian films are making inroads into Australia.
|
Across cultures: "Salaam Namaste" was a big hit.
IT'S not just cricket and cuisine; Indian cinema is fast catching the fancy of Australians. As Indian films find their way into mainstream cinemas and joint Indo-Australian productions, Aussies are getting a slice of the world's largest film industry.
Today, there is much interest, enthusiasm and curiosity about the Indian film industry in Australia. The popularity of so-called `crossover' films like "Monsoon Wedding", "Bend it Like Beckham" and "Bride & Prejudice", have contributed to the acceptance of a "Bollywood aesthetic" by audiences.
The start
Until 2002 — when M G Distribution, a sister company of Melbourne-based Black Cat Productions, began distributing Hindi films beginning with "Saathiya" and "Kaante" in mainstream cinemas — it was a long ride to one of the suburban theatres to watch a Bollywood film on a weekend.
"There has been no looking back. In the past four years, we have screened over 70 of India's finest films. They are released in state of the art multiplexes on the same day as in India", say Marcus Georgiades, CEO, and Mitu Bhowmick-Lange, Executive Producer of the company, which has raised the profile and visibility of Indian films in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji.
Even Australia's bowling sensation Brett Lee has been bowled over by Bollywood. "Indian films are becoming more accessible and coupled with the action, love stories, dancing and singing — why wouldn't they be popular? I have had a couple of offers and would love to appear in a Bollywood movie, but my schedule at the moment is primarily focused on cricket and family. The time will come and I can't wait," says Lee.
The Australian Film Commission's research department indicates that according to the Motion Picture Distributors Association in Australia, 33 films from India were released in cinemas across Australia during 2005. This is marked increase from the 18 released in 2004; nine in 2003; and the 15 released between 1983 and 2002.
This fascination for Indian films means one can no longer walk into a cinema minutes before the show and enjoy a near private screening. As Georgiades says, "Indian cinema has certainly come of age in Australia. One multiplex even had to drop a session of `The Da Vinci Code' recently to add an extra screening of `Fanna' due to huge demand."
Predominantly Indian audience
However, Adrienne Mc Kibbins, Executive Officer and Awards Manager of the Film Critics Circle of Australia who watches one Hindi film a week, says, "It is predominantly the Indian audience with a very small proportion of the general cinema going public that is bringing in the high box office returns. I think the word `popularity' is possibly being confused for `recognition'. There is still reluctance for these films to be reviewed in mainstream media e.g. `Veer Zaara' ran for weeks at a multiplex in both Sydney and Melbourne, but no mainstream critic reviewed the film. So it is still unclear how great the inroads into the non-Indian mainstream audience are. "
Indian film audience in Australia comprises groups of university students, mixed couples, fans of formats to whom it doesn't matter even if there are no subtitles, families, people wanting to learn about new cultures or those coming for sheer novelty and entertainment that Bollywood offers to a broader audience across cultures.
The success of the films theatrically prompted M G Distribution to programme the Indian Film Festival four years ago. Today, it is the largest foreign film festival in Australia and this year, the festival will travel to New Zealand for the first time.
This year's guests, among others, include Yash Chopra, Simi Garewal, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Homi Adjania, Kunal Kohli, Apoorva Lakhia and fashion designers Sabyasachi Mukherji and Surily Goel. Initially, Indian producers came Down Under to shoot song and dance sequences. Exotic locales provided a perfect backdrop for those dream sequences where the lead players are transported from the alleyways of Mumbai to Bondi beach through a song. The continent offers not only diverse landscapes, but competitive prices, excellent infrastructure and a skilled technical base.
Over 100 Indian feature films, television serials, commercials and music videos have been shot in Australia. After the frenzied success of the Indian-Australian co-production "Salaam Namaste", Yash Raj Films has once again chosen Australia as the backdrop for its new film, "Chak De! India" (Go India!), with Bollywood heartthrob Shah Rukh Khan in the lead.
The film links have had spin offs in other industries like tourism, overseas students and the local economy and employment. A natural corollary has been a growing interest in Indian cinema among Australaians who have been intrigued by what makes Indian cinema Hollywood's greatest rival.
As Irina, a migrant from Russia says, "Indian cinema is so exotic — the music, the culture, the costumes. In Australia, there is a need for such diverse cinema as we are bored with Hollywood".
Part of curriculum
Australian high schools are using Indian films as part of the curriculum. Rakyesh Mehra's "Rang De Basanti" was used for discussion at the Beachworth Secondary Government School near Melbourne city. Similarly, the Shalom College in Bundaberg, Queensland, has been screening Gurinder Chadha's "Bend it Like Beckham" for discussion.
The Australian social fabric is a rich tapestry of migrants from nearly 200 countries. Here, pizza, sushi and laksa are a gourmet's everyday delight and bhaji is fast catching up with India becoming the third largest source of migration to Australia and the second largest source of overseas students.
Mike Hall, who imports high-end garments and textiles from India, was surprised to see young girls in saris performing a Bollywood dance at his daughter's year-end primary school concert. "It shows how awareness of India's movie culture permeates Australian society. I'm sure a lot of the growing popularity stems from the increasing awareness of India's role in the global economy".
Whatever the reasons, Indian films have certainly become a "cool thing" Down Under.
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Magazine
