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China is doing better than India. I am not talking about economic growth or attracting FDI but a much subtle yet significant part of trade – movies. “Exporting” movies has always been the first step in introducing your culture, art, and other allied skills to the world. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Hero, House of Flying Daggers (the title of the post, if you didn’t get it) have all won applauds at the international arena or rather from the big American market. Chinese movies are regularly considered Oscar contenders.
We do something so wrong that in spite of making the most number of movies in the world, hardly one qualifies to be an international hit. Bride and Prejudice largely touted as Bollywood’s (heck, even that title is unoriginal) answer to Hollywood was merely a sham for all India movies (some of which are excellent). Packaged as an Indian export, it had all the stereotypical images that Americans have of India; endless songs and dances, elephants on the streets, and garishly designed costumes. We struck a chord with Lagaan, which was the perfect product of a commercial movie and an international product that came close to winning an Oscar. If you think, we ought not to bother about winning Oscars, our own Filmfare Awards make me wince each time I read about them, let alone see them. Oscar for all its elitist standards does recognize well made foreign movies, intense lobbying notwithstanding.
The Chinese have identified their niche. Their superior technical skills and classic adaptation of their cultural tales make for a good story and lead to an excellent movie. Even Hollywood is showing signs of influence of aspects of Chinese (and Japanese) movies (seen Kill Bill yet?) Hero grossed nearly $50 million at the US box office (without an Oscar nomination) whereas the much-publicized Bride and Prejudice is struggling to collect a mere $3 million.
"The actions in the films are more beautiful, more rhythmic, and use some enhanced special effects. I think it’s a great thing…To Western audiences, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, for example, is seen as something very refreshing - to see man-powered flight…So after watching lots of these films, people will get used to seeing this exaggerated artistic style, and it won’t be so strange any more…What attracts them, I believe, is the movie’s form, the use of colour, its music," he says. "They are attracted by the mood of the movie.”, says director Zhang Yimou.
And we thought all that flying around in Chinese movies looked stupid? Zhang doesn’t look so stupid now with all those millions and freedom to make whatever he pleases now, does he? What’s’ more? China gains immensely from the movies in form of added revenue through tourism and they never even started out to do that. Like Zhang says, as long as the film appeals to universal human feelings, all audiences will enjoy it. Internationalization of our movies should move beyond importing Pakistani actresses and revisit the basics of a good tale. Why should only stories of our brothels, terrorism, and street children be considered good subjects for movies?
Lagaan celebrated India. So did Mother India. We got it right twice; so what’s stopping us now?
by Patrix | on Thursday, March 17th, 2005 at 5:00 am | 
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March 17th, 2005 at 12:41 pm reply
Excellent point. I agree with your take on B&P. Awful film.
Btw, speaking of Chinese films check out the films of Kar Wai Wong. Especially, Fallen Angel (# 7 on the list). Quentin Tarantino has admitted that he is inspired by him.
March 17th, 2005 at 3:25 pm reply
Quizman - B&P predictably did bad business at the US BO. Thankfully. I have started liking these Chinese arty action flicks. They are shot beautifully…esp.Hero.
March 19th, 2005 at 8:14 am reply
BTW Nice blog u have here
March 20th, 2005 at 11:33 am reply
Sangeeta - Thanks.
March 21st, 2005 at 2:10 am reply
The weekly blogside view of the Indian economy (7)
Every week some not always blind men from not necessarily Hindustan alone describe what they think is the elephant. Here are this week’s perceptions….
March 25th, 2005 at 10:40 am reply
Your comparisons of Chinese and Indian films are a bit off the mark. The Chinese films you cite – Hero, House of Flying Daggers, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon – are all well made films, with epic storylines and good production values. But, they are viewed by Western audiences as foreign films, not mass entertainment. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon did poorly in China, cause it was viewed by Chinese audiences as geared towards an American audience, plus Michelle Yeoh’s and Chow Yun-Fat’s heavily accented Mandarin did not go over smoothly.
Plus, these films combine two elements- the chop-sokey kung fu fans that have existed in the U.S. since Bruce Lee, but they have added a bit of an artsy-fartsy element that attracts audiences that draw their cue from the pages of The New Yorker. When Chinese filmmakers go on to produce films on more everyday matters, like the unrequited love between two neighbors in “In The Mood for Love” the result is a long, boring drab affair. “To Live” – Zhang Yimou’s 1994 epic indictment of the Maoist era is notable for being a devastating film, but it’s still banned in China. Often, countries that have a good deal of censorship, like China, are fertile grounds for producing subversive art, which plays well among enlightened American audiences
Indian films aim at an Indian (and Indian diaspora) audience, and then bit by bit, have picked up non-Indian admirers. Plus, Indian films are admired by filmgoers as varied as the Arab world, Russia, Israel, and a number of African nations. It is a popcorn phenomenon. Yes, for a guy like me, born and raised in New York, who cannot speak Hindi, many of these films are unwatchable (save for the leading ladies), but I am not the intended audience. But if you expand your view to India’s non-Hindi films, you come across some real gems. I thought Choker Bali was a well-crafted piece of storytelling, that did not require fight or dance sequences, that showed ordinary people doing small steps to rebel against their social conventions, particularly those place on widows.
So, I wouldn’t lament the state of Indian cinema just yet. My concern has been that Indian film-makers will become so obsessed with the NRI audience, that they will neglect the tastes of Indians in India. A man and a woman can fall in love in India without jetting off to Switzerland.