Hollywood studios dabble with Bollywood films
According to an article at HindustanTimes, major Hollywood studio Sony Pictures has plans to produce a Bollywood film in India.
In yet another extremely significant development, Sony Pictures has decided to produce Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s next film, a teen love story titled Saawariya. Indications available so far suggest that the film will be a typical Bhansali product – unabashedly melodramatic and riotously colourful.
Sony’s strategy is clear: the showbiz major wants to make the most of a marriage of Hollywood production practices and a Bollywood filmmaking style, which has the potential of yielding commercial dividends in India and elsewhere.
As crazy as it sounds, I think India has all the leverage in this situation. BW producers may not be as rich or powerful as HW execs, but Bollywood does produce more films every year than anywhere else in the world. India doesn’t need Hollywood to make a movie; India doesn’t need Hollywood to make a big, blockbuster movie. Sony Pictures is trying to cash in on a growing phenomenon by producing a Bollywood flick with more western appeal, and for that they need desi film-makers. I guess all I’m saying is, I hope BW doesn’t get the short end of the stick; they have the home team advantage, so use it!