Films, Festivals and Fun
No wonder why the entire nation salutes this man. An ordinary man with etra-ordinary vision. Yes, thats NRN for you. He has done it with the software industry and he envisages the same vision for another highly profitable industry thats the Film and Entertainment industry.
http://in.rediff.com/money/2005/apr/08murthy.htm
Very aptly he has laid down the points to organise the Film industry, find, award talent and meritocracy and make it profitable.
"To have a global mindset, you need to produce where it is most cost-efficient, source capital from where it is the cheapest, and sell where it is the most profitable."
I believe its most cost efficient to produce in India and East Asia. Icredible India is the most beautiful place to be in - with seas, deserts, mountains and every natural thing available. By picturising in India, we would be able to sell India to the world by showcasing the exotic locations. Not only that, 500 years of history is still preserved in places like Delhi, Mumbai,Hyderabad. Hence, India could be a great tourist destination bringing in millions of dollars.
Where do we need to sell ?
Of course to the world. Apart from the huge Indian diaspora in the West, there is huge market in Asia where people have many of the same traditions, emotions and outlook to life. We can sell our films to these countries. It is also a great way of bringing people together and exchanging culture. Hollywood produced 250 films in 2004 that grossed $32b, while 800 films in India just made $1b. So, the Indian Film industry has to go beyond the regional barriers and produce films that have mass appeal.
What do we need to showcase ?
I have been peeved by the showcasing of nude bodies and raw sex in some of the recent films, blindless copying the West. What are we doing to our culture, the impressionable minds of our youth, when we have so much more to showcase !!
1). History - The most profit making films in Hollywood have been historical characters from BraveHeart to Gandhi. Then why cant we, who know our heroes so intimately showcase their bravery and how they fought all odds to win in life ? Characters like Akbar, JRD Tata would surely have universal appeal. Shyam Benegal with his Making of the Mahatma, did attempt to take us beyond our national boundaries.
2). Festivals - Our years of tradition and culture is slowly getting buried at the onslaught of the west. Our unique cultures and festivals can again be very well showcased in films. Production houses like National Geographic brings documentaries on our culture and festivals - why cant we add them and make them as part of our mainstream cinema. Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Devdas does this beautifully.
3). Human endeavour and triumph - This is something which is never limited to any country/place/religion. Can we not showcase the common man in all his little glories ? Can we not make more postive films about life/joy rather than the dark villain of the underworld and rapists ?
4). Literature and Mythology - With Devdas and Chokher Bali, Indian film-makers are suddenly finding the enormous wealth of life and characters hidden in our literature. Instead of making blind copies of Hollywood movies, we can protray the untapped wealth in Bengali, Tamil, Sanskrit and Urdu literature. If fantasy film 'Lord of the Rings' can be made so popular through crisp photography and special effects, how much more we can do with our Hindu mythologies ?
I think, the call of the hour would be organising the Yash Raj, Mukta Arts, Varma productions and other little production houses in South India, Bengal into full-fledged companies much like Infosys, Wipro and TCS. If not soon big Hollywood production houses like Sony, Warner Bros, MGM and Universal would be reaping in profits with our ideas, creativity and talent.
Secondly, to bring in innovation and talent. Its still considered bad to work in films/model specially people in the middle-class background because of what is showcased in these.
Thirdly, much like the IITs and IIMs we would need to have IFI - Indian Film Institutes where one can learn literature, history, photography, music, culture, psychology and protray them on the celluloid.
My favourite films in the last decade have been:
1). Choker Bali - Rituporno Ghosh
2). Devdas - Sanjay Leela Bhansali
3). Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge - Aditya Chopra
4). Kaun - Ram Gopal Varma
5). Koi Mil Gaya - Rakesh Roshan
6). Lakshaye - Farhan Akhtar
7). Paromitar Ek Din - Aparna Sen
8). Matrix I - Andy and Larry Wachowski
9). Titanic - James Cameroon
10). Pardes - Subhash Ghai
Films, festivals and fun are integral part of Indian culture and psyche and lets not loose this !
http://in.rediff.com/money/2005/apr/08murthy.htm
Very aptly he has laid down the points to organise the Film industry, find, award talent and meritocracy and make it profitable.
"To have a global mindset, you need to produce where it is most cost-efficient, source capital from where it is the cheapest, and sell where it is the most profitable."
I believe its most cost efficient to produce in India and East Asia. Icredible India is the most beautiful place to be in - with seas, deserts, mountains and every natural thing available. By picturising in India, we would be able to sell India to the world by showcasing the exotic locations. Not only that, 500 years of history is still preserved in places like Delhi, Mumbai,Hyderabad. Hence, India could be a great tourist destination bringing in millions of dollars.
Where do we need to sell ?
Of course to the world. Apart from the huge Indian diaspora in the West, there is huge market in Asia where people have many of the same traditions, emotions and outlook to life. We can sell our films to these countries. It is also a great way of bringing people together and exchanging culture. Hollywood produced 250 films in 2004 that grossed $32b, while 800 films in India just made $1b. So, the Indian Film industry has to go beyond the regional barriers and produce films that have mass appeal.
What do we need to showcase ?
I have been peeved by the showcasing of nude bodies and raw sex in some of the recent films, blindless copying the West. What are we doing to our culture, the impressionable minds of our youth, when we have so much more to showcase !!
1). History - The most profit making films in Hollywood have been historical characters from BraveHeart to Gandhi. Then why cant we, who know our heroes so intimately showcase their bravery and how they fought all odds to win in life ? Characters like Akbar, JRD Tata would surely have universal appeal. Shyam Benegal with his Making of the Mahatma, did attempt to take us beyond our national boundaries.
2). Festivals - Our years of tradition and culture is slowly getting buried at the onslaught of the west. Our unique cultures and festivals can again be very well showcased in films. Production houses like National Geographic brings documentaries on our culture and festivals - why cant we add them and make them as part of our mainstream cinema. Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Devdas does this beautifully.
3). Human endeavour and triumph - This is something which is never limited to any country/place/religion. Can we not showcase the common man in all his little glories ? Can we not make more postive films about life/joy rather than the dark villain of the underworld and rapists ?
4). Literature and Mythology - With Devdas and Chokher Bali, Indian film-makers are suddenly finding the enormous wealth of life and characters hidden in our literature. Instead of making blind copies of Hollywood movies, we can protray the untapped wealth in Bengali, Tamil, Sanskrit and Urdu literature. If fantasy film 'Lord of the Rings' can be made so popular through crisp photography and special effects, how much more we can do with our Hindu mythologies ?
I think, the call of the hour would be organising the Yash Raj, Mukta Arts, Varma productions and other little production houses in South India, Bengal into full-fledged companies much like Infosys, Wipro and TCS. If not soon big Hollywood production houses like Sony, Warner Bros, MGM and Universal would be reaping in profits with our ideas, creativity and talent.
Secondly, to bring in innovation and talent. Its still considered bad to work in films/model specially people in the middle-class background because of what is showcased in these.
Thirdly, much like the IITs and IIMs we would need to have IFI - Indian Film Institutes where one can learn literature, history, photography, music, culture, psychology and protray them on the celluloid.
My favourite films in the last decade have been:
1). Choker Bali - Rituporno Ghosh
2). Devdas - Sanjay Leela Bhansali
3). Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge - Aditya Chopra
4). Kaun - Ram Gopal Varma
5). Koi Mil Gaya - Rakesh Roshan
6). Lakshaye - Farhan Akhtar
7). Paromitar Ek Din - Aparna Sen
8). Matrix I - Andy and Larry Wachowski
9). Titanic - James Cameroon
10). Pardes - Subhash Ghai
Films, festivals and fun are integral part of Indian culture and psyche and lets not loose this !
Comments
Very well written article. Some clear, unambiguous directions for the Blly-wd king-pins to follow!
Personally, I feel that take any theme, any story - it is the way you potray it that usually makes or breaks a film. Many english movies have been copied and re-made into hindi movies, but you dont see that same charm! Maybe it is the mediocre attitude of the B'wd mgmt that needs an overhaul?
-Vivek