Bollywood Breaks Out

Fancy yourself as a culturally creative, trend-setter or early-adopter? Then, of course, you’ve been into Bollywood for a while, right?

Recently I blogged on the world’s biggest movie star (no, it isn’t Tom Cruise). Yesterday the SCMP ran a nice feature on the growth of the Bollywood market outside India. These quotes stood out,

“…in April, a huge crowd turned out for the Paris premiere of Veer-Zaara, and Indian-Pakistani Romeo and Juliet-style drama. It took the owners of the upmarket Rex Cinema by surprise. They had never shown a Bollywood movie, let alone premiered one. Tickets sold out a month in advance and on opening night, locals could not believe their eyes as scors fo Frnech women screamed and fainted to catch a glimpse of their hearthrob, Shah Rukh Khan, India’s reigning king of cinema.”

“In Britain, the latest Bollywood movies now outsell homegrown films and even give Hollywood’s output a run for its money.”

“Earlier this year, Veer-Zaara was the opt-selling DVD in the German charts and the soundtrack sold 25,000 Cds…”

“Bollywood is also catching on in Norway, where a festival is held in August. Norway has a large Pakistaini community, a natural fan base, but three-quarters of those attending were Norwegian.”

“One in five poles went to see Khabi Kushie Khabl Gham,” says India’s ambassador to Poland, Anil Wadhwa.”

“Bollywood dance schools are opening up all over the continent, with professional teachers who diligently study the moves on video. Youngsters bored with rap and jaded by rock enthusiastically shake their shoulders and swivel their heads to the latest Bollywood beats.”

“Switzerland … has enjoyed a tourism boom as Indian travellers seek out the locations used in the 50-or-so Bollywood films that have been shot there.”

[tags] Shah Rukh Khan, Bollywood [/tags]