Tweet This
- It’s among India's biggest media events and one of the world's most-watched annual entertainment shows, with audiences estimated at around 800 million people worldwide.
- It’s among India's biggest media events and one of the world's most-watched annual entertainment shows, with audiences estimated at around 800 million people worldwide.
India's biggest movie stars descended on New York over the weekend for the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards 2017. Often dubbed the “Oscars of Bollywood,” the IIFA Awards are held in a new global city each year, with the intent to expose different parts of the world to the razzle-dazzle of Indian cinema. It’s among India's biggest media events and one of the world's most-watched annual entertainment shows, with audiences estimated at around 800 million people worldwide.
From a special bell ringing ceremony at the NASDAQ and a celebrity studded live entertainment show in Times Square to the highly anticipated awards ceremony itself at the MetLife Stadium, this year's IIFA lineup of events took place at some of America’s--indeed the world’s--most iconic venues, marking the massive globalization of Bollywood’s appeal.
A star-studded evening
Popular Bollywood Filmmaker Karan Johar and actor Saif Ali Khan hosted the big awards night on July 16. Johar’s film, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, a love story, was nominated for the most awards—eight—followed by M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story, about former Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, which was nominated for seven.
Thousands of die-hard Bollywood fans dressed to the nines thronged the MetLife Stadium on Saturday night, eager to watch their favorite stars in action. From Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif, to Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan, several of India’s biggest stars performed live dance routines to the most popular songs from their movies.
Bhatt won the award for Best Actress for her role in Udta Punjab, while Shahid Kapoor won Best Actor for his role in the same film.
Bollywood’s growing fan base in North America
IIFA is now in its 18th year and it seemed fitting that this edition unfolded in the U.S. and, more specifically, in and around New York City—arguably the most global city in the world.
The last few years have seen significant growth for Indian entertainment content in North America thanks to the thriving Indian economy, bigger budgets, a large South Asian diaspora with ever increasing disposable income, and growing popularity among Middle Eastern, Caribbean, East Asian and Eastern European immigrants.
Furthermore, Indian stars like Priyanka Chopra have taken on mainstream roles in Hollywood and on American television, and a whole spectrum of North American entertainers of Indian origin from YouTube sensation Lilly Singh to comedian, actor and producer-director Aziz Ansari are enjoying tremendous online popularity.
Hollywood and Bollywood: opportunities for synergy
Bollywood sees huge promise in amplifying its outreach to global audiences. And conversely, U.S. producers have been paying more and more attention to Bollywood box office stats. The Indian film industry as a whole generates multi-billion dollar gross revenue annually, only projected to grow considerably with each year.
Sony, Disney, Fox and Viacom among others, have been investing pretty aggressively in Bollywood in recent years, identifying strategic partnerships with local Indian studios. Neerja, the film that won best picture at the IIFA Awards this year, was co-produced by Fox Star Studios, a joint venture between 20th Century Fox and Star.
American digital content makers are also doing the same. Both Netflix and Amazon Prime Video already have an extensive showcase of Indian movies, as well as exclusive comedy specials with Indian comedians. As they penetrate the Indian market, they’ve made a massive push to create engaging, localized content.
Earlier this month for example, Amazon Prime Video revealed their first Indian web drama series, titled "Inside Edge," with a plot centered around corruption in cricket, India’s favorite sport. It features several Bollywood stars including Richa Chadda and Vivek Oberoi.
Bollywood's massive global appeal
Given that India is the largest producer of films in the world, and among the fastest growing internet markets globally with a huge population to tap into, it's easy to see why synergies between the Indian and U.S. entertainment ecosystems makes sense.
And with the concurrent success of Bollywood films like Dangal in China, and a slew of Indo-Chinese co-productions in the pipelines as well, the global appeal and consumption of Bollywood content seems only set to keep growing.
