Could you imagine if the average movie that we saw here in the states was three to four hours long and cost nearly a day’s wages to see? In addition to that, what if there was, on average, double the number of movies being offered than we are normally exposed to? I suppose the old saying of having 100 channels on television without anything to watch would come to mind. Well, this is the status of the best Bollywood films. In India, Bombay to be exact, they produce over double the number of average Hollywood films every year.
To add insult to injury in comparison to our markets, the Bollywood scene is quite different from ours. They do not allow for any explicit physical scenes in their movies, nor is any blood shown. The dance numbers alone can consist of up to 100 choreographed dancers in a scene. When you think of any American made movies that could compete, you may venture to guess that Titanic would be comparable, without the dancing of course. Coincidentally, this is the only American film that has ever broken into the top 5 of Bollywood top rated films.
When you consider that double the number of the films are produced in Mumbai, which is actually what Bombay is referred to now, you can imagine that the top billing actors and actresses are in high demand. Some are working on as many as 10 films at a given time. The popularity of the film world is made possible because of the escapism that is featured. Trying to get away from everyday life and stress are top priority in the film industry. The theme seems to be working as 1 percent of the population of 1 billion people go to see the newest films on a daily basis.
When you consider the average price of the best Bollywood films in the theater cost, on average, $1 to $3 dollars, the entertainment must be worth it. The government is involved with the production of the films and that may have something to do with the reason there is always a happy ending to every film.
