First, overwhelmingly, the message I came away with when I did this story was that Indian filmmakers, if they cater to any audience beyond their own segmented audience in India, is the NRI one, because that’s where the majority of USDs get spent here.

And second, most of the time the request for an interview is made by phone or email, and the person only sees my skin color when/if we meet face-to-face. Often, then, the comment I get is “Oh, I thought you were Goan.”  It’s the name of the publication I’m writing for that garners the access.  The only exceptions are when the interview is for my website itself, and in those cases, it’s because the filmmaker/distributor reasons that by granting access, they gain coverage and, hopefully, one more way to get the word out about their production.

Thanks for making your point about the many other folks around the world who do watch Hindi movies. I admit that I was aware of the big following in the Middle East and Africa (and former Soviet Union).

And actually, you guys are way ahead of us in that sense (“trendy”). That was something I remarked with both Karan Johar and Anupama Chopra who agreed that the U.S. is the last to “discover” Hindi movies.

“I was curious to explore how much, if any, active and open interest there was in reaching a non-Indian audience.”

Hi Filmiholic,

Nice article. I would just like to add that Bollywood films ARE seen by plenty of non-Indians in the world. I am Persian, and many people in Iran watch these films. So do many other people in the Middle East, Africa, and to a lesser extent, parts of Europe, Asia and Latin America. And they are watched not just by Indians in the diaspora, but non-Indians in their own countries.

I know there is a slight difference between what I said and the question you were asking in the article (as in, you were investigating whether filmmakers were ACTIVELY seeking to make films with non-desis in mind). And in response to that question, I would say, no, the filmmakers probably don’t have a Persian or Ghanian in mind when they make their films, but we watch them anyway.

But I did want to mention this in case there are people out there who think that Indians and ONLY Indians are the ones who watch Bollywood. People around the world have been watching for years, before it was “trendy” in the US! But I guess we’re just trival Third Worlders to some

Blue, more than prescribing what studios or filmmakers should do, I was curious to explore how much, if any, active and open interest there was in reaching a non-Indian audience.

I do think that both would not be averse to having their films seen and appreciated by a wider audience, and certainly, taking in more money.

Also, I think there are some filmmakers whose work already – Omkara, Kabul Express, Eklavya come to mind – could probably be screened for more mainstream audiences in the US and be well received.

One niche that I do wish either my local DVD guy or Netflix could meet is to stock more of the older movies and the classics. I realize that for the local guy, it’s probably not even a question to consider, since he has limited space for copies of the new films, plus all the serials, cricket, etc….

We definitely don’t want the film industry to start changing their films to please a non-desi audience, because we are already pleased (as we’re consuming the product) and any changes would dilute what we have come to know and love.

It would be nice to get a few more films on theatre screens outside of major cities, but only if it could be done without changing the films themselves in an attempt to make them marketable to a mainstream American audience.