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May - 2002 - issue > Cover Story
Coming to America
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Last month, Lagaan became the first Bollywood production to score an Oscar nomination — eventually losing out to Bosnia’s “No Man’s Land” — and became the first Indian DVD to be released on a major Western label.


“Lagaan,” which debuted last year, combines the action, music and romance of Bollywood to depict a 19th century cricket match between British soldiers and Indians, staged to decide whether Indians had to pay a tax.


Bollywood has become a serious contender at box offices throughout the world, according to Shyam Shah, a veteran of Indian films since 1980. And “Lagaan” is reaping the rewards of ever-increasing worldwide interest in Bollywood.


Recent years have seen Indian films open successfully in Southeast Asia, Africa, Great Britain and the United States.


“Lagaan,” a financial blockbuster in India, did well in North America, raking in more than $285,000 from 34 theaters during its opening weekend in July. The $8,400 per-screen average rivals the averages of recent big-budget U.S. releases such as Denzel Washington’s “John Q” ($9,500 per screen) and Britney Spears’ “Crossroads” ($7,100).


In Great Britain, the film brought in more than $130,000 from 24 theaters during its opening weekend, moving into the country’s box office top 10. It ended its five-week limited run with more than $700,000 in box-office revenues, and collected nearly $1 million during its limited-release run in the Unites States.


By the end of 2001, the film, which cost more than $5 million to make, had pulled in more than $7.5 million in India. Sony Pictures Classics re-released the film as part of a pre-Oscars marketing campaign.


“Lagaan’s” DVD release is proof that Western audiences are interested in watching what Bollywood has to offer, according to Michel Hafner of the Internet Movie Database. Distributed by Columbia-TriStar Pictures, the “Lagaan” DVD was released Jan. 22. The 240-minute disc includes 17 minutes of cut footage.


The DVD must be seen in a larger context, Hafner says. “Bollywood films, as opposed to Indian art house films, have been, until recently, strictly a niche product for Indians at home and abroad, plus people from some Asian countries and the Middle East,” he explains. Until now, Western film magazines and newspapers reviewed and publicized very few Bollywood movies. Film dictionaries did not cover them, and Western TV didn’t air them, Hafner says.


Poor quality has plagued the Bollywood DVD industry, with many films being released on bootleg discs within days of a film’s theatrical release, Hafner says. Most are “pretty much unwatchable for an audience used to Western-quality standards.”


But the higher-quality “Lagaan” DVD, although still not up to U.S. standards, could bring tremendous success to Bollywood, Hafner says. “This is a very good DVD to start a Bollywood collection and get familiar with the genre.” The critical and financial success of “Lagaan” is helping Bollywood increase its recognition in non-Indian markets.


Shah says Bollywood could benefit greatly from recognition by the U.S. audience. Hafner concurs. ”The top Bollywood actors and the top films have much to offer to a world market,” he remarks, “and this becomes more and more evident as the films get more and more accessible.”


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