"On demand: Krrish"

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jun 08, 2007


Hindi films on American TV

RAJ S. RANGARAJAN

Fans of Hindi cinema in the U.S. can now watch their favourite films in the comfort of their living rooms.

Bollywood buffs in the U.S. can now watch Hindi films on American TV, thanks to Cox Cable of America and Time Warner Inc. Of the 14 foreign language films that grossed over $ 2 million at the U.S. box office in the past year, seven were Hindi. I ndustry watchers in the U.S. and India are profoundly interested in the courtship. A sample: ‘A Mighty Heart’ with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie has been produced in India and will be released in U.S. on June 22, Johnny Depp and Amitabh Bachchan are in Mira Nair’s ‘Shantaram,’ Wes Anderson is in ‘The Darjeeling Limited’ and African-American actor Will Smith and George Clooney are reportedly interested in forthcoming productions.

New category

Now, BODVOD and Cox Communications in San Diego and Orange County have launched a new ‘Bollywood’ category on Cox’s ‘On Demand’ channel line-up. Cox’s digital cable subscribers will be able to order the latest Bollywood hit films whenever they want, using their Cox remote controls.

Not to be outdone, Time Warner Cable’s digital customers in states such as New York, New Jersey, California, Texas, North Carolina and Ohio can search for movie titles by surfing ‘On Demand Channel 1,’ selecting the ‘Movies’ folder, then the ‘By Category’ sub-folder and the ‘International.’

Each title may be viewed at any time for U.S. $3.95 with unlimited access within 24 hours. Viewers can pause, fast-forward or rewind. These media companies see growth potential in Indian cinema in the U.S. as well.

Through Channel 1, customers can access ‘Movies on Demand,’ they can click on ‘Foreign Films,’ and then ‘Bollywood.’ One of the highest-grossing films in India last year, the Adlabs’ sci-fi action thriller ‘Krrish,’ has also made its premiere on Cox’s ‘On Demand.’

Shah Rukh Khan’s action film ‘Don,’ the New York-set comedy ‘Jaan-e-Maan,’ and the Moghul-era romance ‘Umrao Jaan’ starring Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan will be available later this year.

When asked why they are promoting Bollywood and South Asian content now, Suzanne Giuliani of Time Warner Cable of New York and New Jersey, says, “We started working with BODVOD during a Deepavali celebration about four years ago.”

Roger Keating, executive vice-president, Time Warner Cable, approved 1.9 million customers’ (in Southern California) access to Bollywood and South Asian movies and created a separate international category to showcase films from around the world.

A perfect strategy

In response to a question, Vin Bhat, head of BODVOD Networks, says, “Currently our distribution focuses on 11 million digital cable homes and we are in conversation with operators who will deliver Bollywood movies to hotels and motels in America. We acquire, package, and distribute Bollywood and other South Asian films, TV shows and music on ‘On-Demand’ media platforms.”

Calling this “ …a perfect strategic fit between Time Warner Cable and IFFLA,” Anjali Jindal, head of programming for the BODVOD network, says, “In addition to content, we focus on developing innovative, mutually beneficial partnerships for the viewing community.”