London: Not long ago, Yoga and IT were the two essential elements that connected the world with India. Over the time, it has changed has grown to three - Bollywood, Yoga and IT, strictly in that order. The reason that Bollywood has prominently come to the forefront is because of growing number of the NRI population. Desi by heart, living in foreign shores, the Indian Diaspora has been using Bollywood as a medium to connect with their homeland. The colourful song and dance, Bollywood fashion and spicy entertainment, almost everything is fancy to the wide overseas audience.
Besides the strong glamour of Bollywood stars, the NRIs over the years, have also acquired an appetite for off-beat content oriented new cinema that narrates the stories of new-age India. It all started with Shah Rukh Khan’s 'Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge' which made the crossover connect, when Aditya Chopra made Southhall, a London suburb look cool. YashRaj Productions combined tradition and urban chic in perfect measures, to smoothly caress as average NRI imagination.
The growing expanse of Indian films to far-flung and unexpected markets like Morocco, Kenya, China, Latin America, Poland and more, only confirmed the fact that the Indians settled in these locations were relying on desi entertainment. The filmmakers have realized the importance of targeting the NRI market with the content. Both 'Piku' and 'Tanu Weds Manu 2', widely applauded for its fresh narration, had received a mammoth response from the NRI audience, resulting in record breaking overseas collection. The overseas business done by 'Piku' was $5.8 million while the total collection of Tanu Weds Manu Returns was $5.7 million, right in the initial week.
Success of innumerable world tours, stage shows highlighting the glamour of our superstars is the result of increasing NRI craze. The success of International India Films Award (IIFA) which entered its 16th year held in Malaysia recently, is yet another business model which capitalizes of NRI craze for the Indian films. Sabbas Joseph, Viraf Sarkari and Andre Timmins, founders of IIFA saw the business potential back in 1988 when the fad was in its embryonic stage. The award show travelled to countries where the film lovers were ready to shell out quick cash to watch their favourite stars dancing and collecting awards. Shah Rukh Khan’s Temptation Reloaded and SLAM, received crazy response from his hysterical fans adding to SRK’s and Bollywood’s global appeal.
Dr Daya Thussu, Professor of International Communication and Co-director of Indian Media Centre Westminster University, London, has highlighted India’s soft power in his book titled ‘Communicating India’s Soft Power: Buddhism to Bollywood’ highlights the Diaspora resources and its connect. In a chapter dedicated to this topic, Dr Thussu highlights how Bollywood has been an essential component in the life of oil worker in the Middle East to highly educated professional elite in North America and Europe.
This was the reason that several big Hollywood studios made inroads to Indian film market. With the audience interest and the economy growing from strength to strength, big studios such as 20TH Century Fox, Sony Pictures, Walt Disney Pictures and Warner Bros have offices in Mumbai.
'Bade Bade Desho Mein…' was the starting line of Barack Obama speech, in his recent visit to India. The 'DDLJ' moment at the diplomatic front, confirmed India-US romance which facilitated Indians to instantly connect with PLOTUS. UK Prime Minister David Cameron made it a point not to miss out on Indian’s fixation for films while wooing the British-Asians during his election campaign, recently. A Bollywood style campaign song singing the praises of PM Cameron in Hindi 'Neela Hai Asman' elaborating Conservative Party’s colour Blue.
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