The views expressed below are that of the person mentioned
below.
Dear Behindwoods,
It's official -- Sivaji at this time of writing is the
highest grossing Tamil movie in Malaysia's history with
$7 million Malaysian Ringgit. It also has been holding
top positions in the country's top 10 box office -- not
an easy feat in Malaysia where there are lots of movies
screened in different languages -- from the latest Hollywood
blockbusters to Chinese movies, Thai movies, Malay movies
etc.
What is also remarkable is that Malaysia's English papers
which normally do not report on any Tamil films expect
for reviews of Tamil films etc for its Tamil audience
who read English papers have begun carrying reports on
Sivaji. Malaysia's English papers tend to report more
on Hindi films. There was a major write-up about Sivaji
by one of the country's best columnist, Amir Muhammad,
that appears in New Straits Times, one of the country's
largest English newspapers, and the oldest English newspaper
in the region (it is over 150 years old).
It has taken Shankar, Rajiniknath and AR Rahman to finally
convince Bollywood and the rest of the world that Bollywood
is not India and India is not Bollywood. That regional
films especially Tamil film industry is not a subtext
of Bollywood but they are an industry to be reckoned with,
on their own. The fact that Sivaji has had wide publicity
all over the world (even the Independent newspaper in
London carried an article on Sivaji) and especially in
North India should alert the South Indian film makers,
especially Tamil film makers of the potential to tap into
the Northern market for Tamil films. As one of the writers
to this site had mentioned, the producers should spent
a little bit extra money to put in subtitles (most of
the Tamil movies in Malaysia do not have subtitles) and
use English medium to market their films to non- Tamil
speaking audience - which is what Hindi films have been
doing very successfully. If non-Hindi speaking people
can accept Hindi films, there is no reason why they can't
accept other Indian films like Tamil films as well.
Bravo to you Shankar! You have proved that you don't have
to make a Hindi film -- unlike other Tamil directors to
have defected to Hindi like Mani Ratnam -- to have a national
audience. Good films in Tamil can also have a national
audience. But I must say, I am saddened to hear that Shankar's
next venture is a Hindi film. Darn! there goes another
Tamil director over to Hindi.
I think it is about time that South Indian film makers
take a stand and shout to the world that Bollywood is
not India and India is not Bollywood. Hopefully it will
get the people who organize the laughable IIFA awards
-- International Indian Film Awards -- to realize the
error of their ways and correct the award name to what
it should be - International Bollywood Film Awards. I
think the Southern film fraternity has been too quiet
and has not made enough noise to protest Bollywood's marketing
itself as the sole representative of all things Indian.
Regards
Sharmila Valli Narayanan handsomest
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