Already popular Bollywood flicks and stars may not to be well known in the west but they are surely making a go for it – reaching for the sky, where sky is the limit. More than half a billion viewers tuned in on Sunday, 9th June to see the cream of Bollywood appear for the Indian film industry's aspiring version of the Oscars in a glitzy ceremony in Thailand. Some of Bollywood's biggest names - virtually unknown in the west but huge stars across Asia -
arrived in Bangkok last week to promote the industry. And to achieve that international image that celebrities vie for. The indian films industry, which has had a lean year thanks to the arrival
of the country's widly popular domestic cricket league, which has kept audiences out of cinemas and far away from the Olympics in China for the past six weeks. A coincidence or a strategy? Anyway, launched by the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) eight years ago, the event has become a pit stop for global cinema buffs.
The inaugural ceremony was held in London and in past years has been to Amsterdam, South Africa and, in recognition of the British diaspora's contribution, Yorkshire. Although, Thailand has not
traditionally provided big Bollywood audiences, police struggled to control the crowds who turned up to see the stars attend the Sarkar Raj preview on Friday. The dark political thriller, based on the real-life controversy around an Enron power plant built in India a decade ago, is the kind of new-wave cinema Bollywood wants to show the world - an Indian movie with an international feel that goes beyond the traditional song-and-dance format. But then there have been better movies in the same 'new–wave' genere that made it to the box office. What makes this special is the publicity and PR management of the
project. Sarkar Raj, with Indian megastar Amitabh Bachchan, is sequel to the 2005 film Sarkar – like you wouldn't know - which borrows heavily from American classic The Godfather and portrays the lifestyle of Baal Thakrae – the Bombay streetlord, who enjoys a lager
than life image. Though, in itself the film Sarkar Raj was a true
sequel. Altering the original here or there - Voila! Sarkar Raj.
Another mould-breaking movie is likely to be the slick sci-fi flick
‘Love Story 2050’ and the much-hyped thriller ‘Mission Istanbul’.
The Indian film industry, which churns out hundreds of movies a year, has revenues of more than £1bn, a fraction of what Hollywood earns.
However, sales are growing.
Bachchan the permanent fixture at IIFA, not to mention, the brand ambassador of the awards, told reporters present at the Bangkok venue that the unique culture of Bollywood has protected it from being subsumed by the Hollywood movie machine. "The way Hollywood was able to destroy most of the other cinemas in the west - whether it was
Italian, French or German, or British - it will have a tougher time in India because there is a cultural difference." Has Mr. Bachchan forgotten the ditto Hollywood style movies that he acted in himself? They, too, were Bollywood churn-outs. And check Mr. Bachchan in one of the latest Indian magazines, where he is clad in the slickest of leather attire for bikers and posing stylishly with a motorbike, the
like of the famous American Harley Davidson. Contradiction, contradictions.
Keen to associate themselves with global causes, the big names of Bollywood, including Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra,
waltzed down a green carpet, instead of red, to spread awareness about global warming. On Friday, the head of the UN's Nobel-prizewinning climate panel took centre stage to call for greater efforts to stop climate change.
Rajendra Pachauri accepted a special global leadership award and praised the event's host. . . yes, Bachchan, for advocating action against climate change during the weekend gala.
"Change in the climate system of the world is unequivocal," he said after accepting the award. "We rapidly have to bring about the stabilisation of Earth's climate." He also delivered a presentation highlighting the science behind his panel's forecast for the world.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. The story as MAG researched shows a lot that went behind the scenes that the general public is unaware
of. Like what is Wizcraft? Who is Sabass Joseph?
