Bollywood vs Australian Cinema

I have learnt an immense amount from the Marketing Bollywood Program. I feel as though I have been given insight into a highly complex world. I now understand how production, distribution and marketing can come together to make a comprehensive strategy.

This program expanded my understanding of Indian culture and the differences between the Indian Film Industry and the Australian Film Industry.  Below is a few differences that I have noted. This table mainly relates to mainstream Bollywood cinema (not festival films).

Australian Film Industry vs Bollywood
Australia	Bollywood
Industry
-less emphasis on stars-more focus on director -emphasis on getting funding from government bodies (attempts made to get the government involved) -stars (generally) less important than stories -music less important -Dance numbers not usually incorporated -few films made each year -small industry not linked by family -bigger film festival scene -fewer taxes on films	– stars worshipped like gods-Bollywood tries to keep government uninvolved -stars are more important than the director -script writers less respected -songs can make or break a film -music incredibly important -big divide between single screen and multiplexes (Changes in marketing) -many movies centre around love or marriage -Muslim people and issues depicted more positively than in Hollywood -many, many films produced each year -film ‘families’ often control film production -mafia money available -music sections of film are used as video clips and played on MTV -video clips played a few weeks from films release
Films
-Usually around ninety minutes long-Love is not as a big as a theme-more emphaisis of accurate depiction of reality (in my opinion)	-films around three hours long-films have an interval in the middle for smoking or getting food -samosas sold at cinemas -bigger range of products sold at cinema (e.g Jewellery sold) -Films often localized  (made in a particular area for that particular audience) -many films concern themselves with love, marriage and arranged marriage -warnings have to be shown at the beginning of films that show smoking or drinking -greater variety of cinematography (lots of jump cuts, fast forward) -more escapism
Marketing
-Limited marketing used-big emphasis on social media campaigns -bigger emphasis on website -films hardly ever advertised on television -postcards used to promote films -crowdfunding often used	-more extreme measures used. Many staged events (PR scandals)-less concern for police getting involved -posters often put on street -social media strategies less important -higher emphasis on scandal -higher emphasis on the stars and their personal life used to promote the movie -postcards not used -television marketing very important -songs used as marketing tool

So there are a few observations that I have made. Please comment or give me feedback or argue with me!

First Sari/ A brush with danger

So today consisted of two very separate parts. Early today we set off to the Kothari Milestone, Nr. Shanker Mandir, S.V Road to go shopping for our very first traditional Indian outfit. It was an extremely long walk and, in hindsight, somewhat unnecessary. We had been told the best thing to wear for our internship was a traditional Indian outfit. So we wanted to get one early on.

 

 

Living the High Life.

Yesterday we met the producer of Tanu weds Manu, Sailesh Singh.

I learnt a lot about Bollywood and how it functions. The most shocking part is that Sailesh told me that writers are not respected in Bollywood, not as respected as in Hollywood (not that they are respected much there either)! He told us that often films are bought and sold off the stars that are within the film.

The gang with Sailesh.

He told us that financiers will not read the script but will get a pitch, hear the stars attached and then approve or disapprove of the film.

The most exciting thing that came out of the interview is that Sailesh said he would like us all to pitch ideas of how to market his newest film. So, it’s now being organised for us to come back to his office to see his newest film which is still in post: Sixteen. Then he would like to hear our ideas about how to market the film!!! So exciting!

After the meeting, we headed to Juhu beach again. When we were coming in we saw a restaurant called Bora Bora which looked really fancy. We decided to go there for dinner. It was so beautiful as it overlooked the beach. It also meant as I was able to get MEAT! Since all food is included in this program it is strictly vegetarian.

Bora Bora the ‘poshie’ restaurant where we had some dinner.

Tried the mouth freshener Paan today. Looks delicious does it not?

It was not. It tasted like I was eating toothpaste with a listerine sauce.

Juhu Beach.

Juhu Beach.

Wedding Crashers!

We awoke in the morning and had our first Indian breakfast. Candace (a girl in our group) arrived pretty soon after breakfast, which meant we had to change accommodation. With a quick farewell to the apartment we’d been staying in for the night, we were off.

Check out our pool. Then check out the spa. It’s green. 

We settled into our new accommodation and decided to check out the area. We did a little lap to orientate ourselves then came back to the apartment. We were staying in an area of Mumbai called Malad. It’s a suburban area so we got a lot of stares from people. We were later informed that Malad was a suburb that had been built on a rubbish tip. Not sure if it’s true or not.

We tried to figure out what to do with the day. Candace was tired and went to sleep but Sarah, Melissa and I wanted to check out the sights. After some research, we realised we were about an hour away from the city with traffic. One ‘attraction’ was a mall that was nearby so we decided visit. The lady on the plane had told me that I had to go to a Mall while in India.

After a short auto-rickshaw ride, we arrived at Infinity Plaza. From the outside this place looked like a big, dirty silver box but inside, I felt like I’d be transported back to New Jersey, America. The floor was so clean and shiny that my shoes could hardly grip to it. This was my first experience of the dichotomy of India.

As we walked around and got food from the food court I saw what Anupam (from SBS’s Bollywood Star) had said was true. This was not the India I had seen in Slumdog Millionaire or any other filmic depiction of India. I saw parents dropping off their kids for movie dates with friends, and the usual shopping centre kind of arrangements. There was McDonalds, popcorn scented cinemas and all the usual thrills. There were only two things that made it different: there was a lot of security (we had to go through a metal detector when we first walked in) and it had a ROLLERCOASTER INSIDE IT!

South Indian desert and an Indian coffee.

So after our discovery of the ROLLERCOASTER (AHHHH!) we decided we’d work our way up to the top level. We checked prices to see if the stores were cheaper than in Australia. They had the Bodyshop, Forever New, Zara and they were slightly cheaper.

Sarah and Melissa grabbed some donuts and I went to a strange South Indian Fast Food joint and got myself a little something. I wasn’t sure what the desert was but it was slightly custardy and slightly chai tasting. It was milky and full of noodles and almond flakes.

Now well fed we went on the rollercoaster.

Finding nothing else of interest in the shopping centre we decided to have a walk around the area. We didn’t have anything to do at home anyway. We weren’t sure when everyone would be arriving.

As we walked down the street we saw a driveway that was very well decorated. A man in white told us we could head in and check it out. He told us it was a wedding and if we wanted we could stay. We went inside and to check it out.

TO BE CONTINUED!!

Goodbye Australia!

So the adventure begins. I am going to Bollywood in Mumbai to do an a program funded through the UTS  BUiLD (Beyond UTS International Leadership Development) society. It was the most wondrous thing to happen, since returning from New York six months ago I have been a) very broke and b) desperate to travel again and experience new things.

For the past few months I have been talking about going to Bollywood NON-STOP. I think, to the point that people might have wanted to slap me. India has been a kind of light at the end of the ‘normal life’ tunnel, because what is ordinary about Bollywood? Nothing. How can sparkly, dancing lovers singing and dancing to each other be boring? It’s Home and Away on acid.

So it was this morning that I awoke to pack and waited for my taxi to the airport. Since everyone in my family was either working/living elsewhere/in New York, I was confronted by the strange position of having to kind of say goodbye to myself. It’s a kind of weird climax because you’re just like ‘Oh wow!! Here’s my taxi! Ok, oh look at me go! Bye! Going now!’. You kind of have to amp yourself up and you just walk around feeling like a super excited loner. It also makes it very awkward getting the classic ‘going away photo’.

Stocking up on Western food. Salmon, capers and cream cheese. Pure deliciousness.

In the taxi, I had thrown together my last piece of Western food: capers, salmon, cream cheese on toast, pure deliciousness.  I had to stock up because I’m not good with spicy food, my body can’t deal with it. It’s not that I don’t like Indian food and all other food that tends to be spicy (I love it) it’s just that it destroys me.

This was a realization that came to me when I was in Mexico last year. We were having our classic ‘Spring Break in Cancun’ moment. We were only exchange students in American once, amerigh? Think burritos on tap, nachos raining from the sky and enough casadias to make a hat out of. I tried, by jove I tried, but the spices took a toll on me. On the last day in Cancun we went on a 70USD all-inclusive food and alcohol yacht day and I couldn’t stomach anything. Bless the Mexican crewmen who swept around the deck offering me tequila sunrises hoping that I’d party like a Girl Gone Wild. I wasn’t going to be a Girl Gone Wild, I could at best muster myself to be a Girl Gone Mildly Enthusiastic (a title that I doubt would fare as well in sales).

So it was with a feeling of justification that I indulged a Gloria Jeans Chiller Shake because, lets be honest, the calories were probably going to lost along the way. I got a new camera. I tried to log on the ‘FREE WIFI!!!’ to no avail and said a solemn final goodbye to myself, told myself to look after my stuff, not to get in cabs with strange men and to never take the starting price.

I didn’t tell myself to not look like a tourist because, come on, I was about to be a Blonde in Bollywood.