Desi Duds
by: Suruchi Mazumdar
- expressindia.com
They are the face of India at celebrated international film festivals. But rave reviews don’t seem to come handy for their films when it comes to the domestic box office. Commercial success on home ground has always eluded NRI filmmakers like Deepa Mehta, Mira Nair and Gurinder Chadha, in stark contrast to the huge overseas appeal of their films.
In recent times, Mehta’s controversial Water received a cold response at the desi BO, despite an Oscar nomination. But that seems to be no deterrent for other forthcoming international productions — this Friday’s release Mira Nair’s The Namesake and Jag Mundhra’s Aishwarya Rai-starrer Provoked slated to release on April 6.
The distributors are also not perturbed by these prestigious films’ poor showing in India. Rather, they are inspired by the “greater cause” the films propagate. “Provoked is not just a film, but a cause against domestic violence. It should also be seen because of the great performances,” says Viki Rajani, director, Eros International, distributor of Provoked.
The same applies for Water, a film that has all the elements — poverty, deprived widows, underground flesh trade and Mahatma Gandhi — that Westerners love to see about India. “We thought it’s a film that should be seen by all Indians,” says Ravi Chopra of BR Films, distributor of Water in India.
While Water opened in India a year after its international release, The Namesake is releasing in India two weeks after its release in the US. Provoked, however, will release simultaneously in India, USA and UK.
The Namesake team is trying hard to keep their chins high. “It’s a conscious decision to release the film in India two weeks after its US release. There is already a lot of curiosity around it,” says Siddharth Roy Kapoor, senior vice president, marketing and distribution, UTV, distributor of The Namesake in India.
“The reaction is unbelievable in USA, where The Namesake has turned out to be one of the highest grossing movies,” says an excited Nair.
But everyone knows that success in the international arena doesn’t imply a similar fate in India. Nair’s Monsoon Wedding, and Chadha’s Bride And Prejudice, were a hit abroad, but bombed in India.
The reason for the no-show of these films is simple: lack of entertaining values. “Films like Water that are entirely issue-based and don’t offer any entertainment are not meant to be hits in India,” says trade analyst Komal Nahata.
But a desi hit or not, our NRI filmmakers don’t have much to worry about, as long as their financers are happy.
