I am hopeful that globalisation, increased travel and interest in India will demand that India's filmmakers, actors, producers and financiers step up to the challenge and begin to craft world-class products. The film industry was granted official industry status by the government in 1998, allowing corporate financing. Until then, film financing had come mostly from the private sector or, allegedly, the Indian underworld.
Industry status coupled with liberalisation has made overseas production and distribution easier. All this has lead to Indian film producers and directors targeting the Indian Diaspora. They have gone to the extent of filming subjects where Bollywood actors themselves play the roles of Diasporic Indians, the dominant language being 'Hinglish.'
I sometimes feel people should understand the current and past state of India to get the reasoning behind the songs and fantasy that are so much a part of the cinema. With illiteracy and poverty still serious problems, India's citizens need colour and fantasy. Some may never have the opportunity to visit another state in the country, let alone a foreign locale. For them, the movie theatre is still a means of living vicariously -- a respite from abject poverty.
I know that entertainment and quality are not mutually exclusive. I feel this will come as India's economy continues to boom and the finer things in life become available to more of its citizens. The antiquated notion of a 'self-inclusive' film -- with action, love, family, drama, song, dance all encapsulated in three hours -- will no longer be necessary.
It is now clear that Bollywood needs the overseas market to recover its costs. If better quality films are produced, and go on to do well in North America and Europe, the ability of Bollywood's filmmakers to make films of a higher calibre will greatly increase. When that happens, many more around the world will tune into what millions of Indians have long known, and enjoyed.
Image: Saif Ali Khan and Rai Mukerji in Ta Ra Rum Pum
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