Bollywood to use foreign technical experts
September 06, 2006 Edition 1 by Shail Kumar Singh
Bollywood is bucking the global trend of outsourcing technical film
work to India by using experts from abroad to provide special
effects for increasingly demanding audiences, the industry said this
week.
Studios with large company backing and aggressive directors are
behind the trend that has led to most of the big banner Bollywood
films now being shot outside of India.
The current major hit starring five of Bollywood's A-list stars
Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna (Never Say Goodbye) was shot in New York using
many local staff, while the gangster movie Don was filmed Malaysia.
With Bollywood's first superhero movie Krrish raising the stakes for
stunts in Indian movies this year, analysts said the demand for
foreign experts would grow.
Krrish was shot in Singapore with Hong Kong martial arts movie
specialist Tony Ching who choreographed the superman-style stunts.
The film made $32 million (R230 million) in two months, making it
one of Indian cinema's biggest hits.
"The Indian audiences are not fools. In the last five years they
have become technology savvy and they want the best," said director
Rakesh Roshan.
Production
Until the last decade Bollywood films were generally low-budget with
poor production values where punches rarely appeared to land in
fights and horse-riding scenes were done without horses.
But major companies have begun investing in films with special
effects in the past few years lured by the potential profits of an
industry that is the largest in the world by volume but collects
just one percent of global revenues. In turn, Hollywood is using
Indian technicians based in the western city of Mumbai, India's
entertainment capital, to lower costs for animated movies.
Bollywood trade analyst Komal Nahta said: "Bollywood has become very
big and producers are ready to take risks and they are getting
returns on their investment.
"You pay money and you get best of foreign technicians. They too are
more receptive and ready to work because most of these films are
shot abroad."
The much-awaited sequel of the motorcycle gang movie Dhoom (Have a
blast), is being filmed in Brazil, with British make-up specialist
Mike Bates, who previously worked on Lord of the Rings.
Namaste London (Good morning London), starring Akshay Kumar, has a
British director of photography and is currently being shot on
location.
"I know the pound is stronger than the rupee, but there is no
choice.
"Today Indian audiences look at quality and they don't want
substandard or shoddy work," said director Vipul Shah. - Sapa-AFP
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