Diaspora role in Indian films under spotlight

Music India OnLine: "Film director Shyam Benegal, who moderated a session on the Indian entertainment industry as part of the Pravasi Bharati Divas here, said the Indian diaspora had become a significant market in the past decade. Filmmaker Yash Chopra said that films with Indian culture as their theme found great success abroad, such as his latest production "Veer-Zaara".

A heated debate followed Film and Television Producers Guild of India president Amit Khanna's outburst against participants airing complaints about Bollywood films not matching Hollywood standards. Khanna said the diaspora factor had a dual positive impact, serving both as a cultural link to India and as a major revenue earner. Participants' views varied greatly, from attacks on the technical quality of Bollywood films to their higher visibility in the international market.

But he lamented that while 3.8 billion people watched Bollywood films (0.6 billion more than Hollywood films), Bollywood only earned 0.2 per cent of the revenue as ticket prices were lower here. He asked the delegates from more than 60 countries attending the conference to assist in the battle against piracy."