Hollywood makes new filmi forays into India

MUMBAI: Aamir or one of the other premium, single malt Khans in a Hollywood movie directed by a Hollywood director?
The day isn’t that far off, as Hollywood gears up for fresh assaults on the Indian film market.
Currently, Hollywood’s wedge of the Indian film market averages a crummy five per cent, whereas in most other markets, it is a giant gobbling up 60 per cent to 90 per cent of the market.
But with the Indian restrictions on foreign direct investment for producing and distributing films in India being removed in 2000, and those on remitting funds abroad removed in 2001, India’s moviecrazy public is up for grabs by Hollywood majors.
According to trade sources, Twentieth Century Fox (TCF) is considering producing a Ram Gopal Varma film tentatively titled Ek Haseena Thi. The film is expected to roll in August, and its shortlisted stars include Urmila Matondkar and Saif Ali Khan.
TCF has already distributed Indian films such as English,August, Split Wide Open and Bollywood Calling.
Universal Music is producing three Hindi films in India, with Radhika Rao being on their list of possible directors.
Hyperion Pictures India, a subsidiary of the independent Hyperion Studio Inc, is also looking at three projects in India, including a musical directed by American director Willard Carroll, with an American heroine but an Indian hero, cast, crew and locations.
Sony Pictures Entertainment (of which Columbia Tristar Films is a distribution arm) was the first to get a Foreign Investment Promotion Board clearance to produce and distribute films in India way back in 1998. Although it is holding its production cards close to its chest, it has significantly opened up its distribution line-up. Despite opening its distribution account with the damp squib Pyar Mein Kabhi Kabhi, it has tied up with iDreams (an offshoot of an Indian brokering firm), to distribute the latter’s Monsoon Wedding, Mitr and 16 December, as well as Bend it like Beckham, Agnivarsha and Jajantram Manantram.
Moreover, Pritish Nandy Communications already has three international coproductions under its belt — The Mystic Masseur with Merchant-Ivory Productions, Kaante with NRI Raju Patel’s Film Club and Hazaron Khwahishen Aisi with Fonds Sud Cinema (France).
Said Universal Music senior vice president (marketing) Vinay Sapru, “Indian music companies like Tips and Venus are already producing films and we believe that is the right strategy. We are looking at Indian film production as an independent profit centre. We want to make successful film per se, rather than create a good sound track and make a film around it. In any case, sound track acquisition rights these days cost so much, you can produce a film in the same amount. Our films will be primarily aimed at the Indian market, starting with three Hindi films.’’
However, TCF, which produces local films in Australia and Mexico, seems rather sceptical about the Indian scenario.
TCF India’s managing director Aditya Shastri complained that he spends most of his time disentangling himself from babudom’s ardent embrace.
“We have multiple problems in India, including unsettled tax issues for the last eight years. So we are not seriously looking at production here. Although the $6 million ceiling on the total remittances of all the Hollywood majors in India was removed last year, out joint remittances have not crossed even $2 million (Rs 10 crore). If you average the four majors, it works out to about Rs 2-3 crore per studio annually. That’s peanuts for a Hollywood studio,’’ he said.