The Hindu Business Line : `Indian films need global appeal to go beyond diaspora'

THOUGH 3.8 billion people watched Indian films last year compared to 3.2 billion viewers for Hollywood films, India's share in the global industry valued $200 billion is less than 0.2 per cent.

Obviously, much of the Indian film viewing is at home where ticket prices are much lower than the international average, according to Mr Amit Khanna, President, Film Producers' Guild of India.

Export of Indian entertainment products has shown a staggering growth of 100 per cent.

But if Indian films seek to go beyond the Indian diaspora as Chinese or Iranian films have done, they need to have an international appeal.

The length of Indian films was one of the issues raised at the Entertainment Session during the Third Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, an NRI conference being held in Mumbai.

Had Devdas been a two-hour film, it would have been a major success outside of the Indian diaspora, said one of the panelists. "The film had an exotic appeal, which is more appealing to the white audience in the Western world."

Most of the Indian diaspora is largely exposed to Bollywood films. Actor Rahul Bose made a case for choice. "There is not just one kind of films that is made in India," he said.

According to filmmaker Shyam Benegal, the South Asian diaspora started to become significant only in the last two years.

"Today, films can be made to meet the taste of the diaspora," he said.

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