Last year a posse of Indian actresses — major celebrities — were observed behaving like hyperactive teenage fans at the Venice International...
Last year a posse of Indian actresses — major celebrities — were observed behaving like hyperactive teenage fans at the Venice International Film Festival. The object of their attention? George Clooney. Bollywood celebrities who would ordinarily be mobbed by their adoring fans at a coffee shop in downtown Mumbai certainly know their place in the pecking order.
Until recently, Bollywood stars would consider it an enormous privilege to get a five-minute slot on an American talk show. Aishwarya Rai’s appearances on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and the “Late Show with David Letterman” a couple of years ago received much attention from the Indian media. The country had entered the global consciousness, the western media reported smugly.
Then, “Slumdog Millionaire” transformed Freida Pinto from an Indian model to an international superstar — a genuine celebrity who now hobnobs with the likes of Scarlett Johansson and receives career advice from Kate Winslet. She is exotic and, as far as she is concerned, the new Penelope Cruz.
But there were other forces driving the Mumbai film industry’s sudden rise in prominence. An Indian company financed a couple of Will Smith movies to the tune of $15 million, and before you knew it, Smith was in Mumbai doing the talk show rounds and making the right noises about wanting to work with Rai.
Kylie Minogue is the latest commercial pop symbol to appear in an Indian mainstream movie, and Sylvester Stallone is next in line. “Shantaram,” a film that is set in the Mumbai underworld, is being adapted from the novel and is currently under production; it features Johnny Depp and Amitabh Bachchan, Indian cinema’s biggest icon.
The success of “Slumdog Millionaire” has not necessarily made Bollywood any more popular among American audiences, but according to Hollywood’s power brokers, the Mumbai film industry has gained currency. Sony and Warner have begun collaborations with Indian production houses, though most haven’t been successful. Bollywood, once a pejorative term, today represents enormous opportunity for American film companies.
And, we all know who wants to be a billionaire.
Until recently, Bollywood stars would consider it an enormous privilege to get a five-minute slot on an American talk show. Aishwarya Rai’s appearances on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and the “Late Show with David Letterman” a couple of years ago received much attention from the Indian media. The country had entered the global consciousness, the western media reported smugly.
Then, “Slumdog Millionaire” transformed Freida Pinto from an Indian model to an international superstar — a genuine celebrity who now hobnobs with the likes of Scarlett Johansson and receives career advice from Kate Winslet. She is exotic and, as far as she is concerned, the new Penelope Cruz.
But there were other forces driving the Mumbai film industry’s sudden rise in prominence. An Indian company financed a couple of Will Smith movies to the tune of $15 million, and before you knew it, Smith was in Mumbai doing the talk show rounds and making the right noises about wanting to work with Rai.
Kylie Minogue is the latest commercial pop symbol to appear in an Indian mainstream movie, and Sylvester Stallone is next in line. “Shantaram,” a film that is set in the Mumbai underworld, is being adapted from the novel and is currently under production; it features Johnny Depp and Amitabh Bachchan, Indian cinema’s biggest icon.
The success of “Slumdog Millionaire” has not necessarily made Bollywood any more popular among American audiences, but according to Hollywood’s power brokers, the Mumbai film industry has gained currency. Sony and Warner have begun collaborations with Indian production houses, though most haven’t been successful. Bollywood, once a pejorative term, today represents enormous opportunity for American film companies.
And, we all know who wants to be a billionaire.
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