Why Bollywood Needs a Miramax
Here’s an interesting essay by a fanboy who wants to see Bollywood explore different genres:
“This is a topic really close to my heart for a variety of reasons, which are all inter-related. As a guy who has always loved innovation, novelty, diversity and variation like so many other Indians, it’s depressing to see how our Bollywood has taken us for a ride all these years. 90% of the movies with similar stories? 4 superstars in 6 decades?
This is not healthy, it’s the sign of an industry that is scared to experiment, lest they might fail. However they don’t realize that they have given birth to a whole new generation of dissatisfied viewers that watch maybe 5-10 movies a year out of the 200 odd movies that Bollywood makes. Don’t get me wrong, I still love our movies and probably watch more movies than an average viewer, but that’s because I am an addict. The fact that I love it so much, makes me think, that we can do a lot better than this.”
…maybe what’s needed is for more Bollywood films to be exported to markets like the United States (like anime)? That might allow film makers in India to take more chances if they had a larger audience.
I guess my other advice is – if you don’t like something, change it! The low budget YouTube digital video revolution allows people on a low budget to make films. If you want to see Bollywood make indie films that explore new genres, do it yourself. The best way to find the Harvey Weinstein of Bollywood is to become that yourself, that’s the true indie film maker spirit.
Below: Fusion cuisine! Latino pop singer Shakira doing a Bollywood dance number:
