What type of relationship is shaping up between Bollywood and Hollywood? Not only are major Hollywood studios like Sony (Saawariya), Warner Bros (From Chandni Chowk to China) and Disney (Roadside Romeo) producing proper Bollywood movies, but now Bollywood producers are investing and filming in Hollywood.
Next week, Kambakth Ishq, starring A-listers Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor will begin filming at Universal Studios in Los Angeles. Sylvester Stallone is expected to play himself in Bollywood’s most expensive film to date. Producer Sajid Nadiawala confirms: “Yes, we have signed Stallone; we didn’t want to leave any stone unturned.” Will they also rope in Sharon Stone?
This development is the latest in a growing trend for Indian investment in Hollywood. At the recent Cannes Film Festival, Reliance Big Entertainment, part-owned by one of India’s richest men, announced a $1 billion injection into at least eight Hollywood Companies. Further, Eros International, one of the biggest Bollywood distributors signed a joint venture with Loinsgate, an independent studio, in order to widen exposure of Bollywood in America.
Will the masala ‘song and dance’ formula be diluted in order to cater to western audiences? Kishore Lulla, Head of Eros says: “People want something new every time. You can’t keep giving them the same old thing. There will be sex, definitely.”
The London King
UK Bollywood star spotters are in for a treat this week as two Khans are currently in London. Shah Rukh Khan returns to his favourite city to attend a dinner on Friday. “I say it as a joke to everyone that when the English left India, we were not going to let them go!” He also told me: “It’s the greatest city in the world. It feels like an extension of middle-class Mumbai.”
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