FilmArea.NeT

MUMBAI: Hollywood’s search for mainstream audiences in India
has ended. The latest blockbuster churned out by a big studio
in Los Angeles has managed to sweep audiences off its feet in
the cowbelt with a simple innovation: in his latest web-swing,
Spidey has started spouting Bhojpuri.

The film which smashed box-office records worldwide — it made
$148m in its first three days — owes some of its success to
frontbenchers in Fursatganj who cheer when Peter Parker tells
his girl, “Jaan tum to Muzzaffarpur ki litchi ki tarah dikhti
ho”.

The Bhojpuri version, a first for Hollywood, is running to
packed houses at halls in Bihar’s interiors, said distributors.

In fact, Spiderman 3 has even garnered a opening comparable to
a mainstream Hindi flick.

Sony had shrewdly used local flavour to spice up the appeal of
a Western export for audiences in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. For
starters, Ravi Kissen, who’s a big star in Bhojpuri cinema, was
roped in to dub for the superhero. “My voice for Spidey is a
value addition and it has attracted Bhojpuri-going filmgoers.
In fact, I improvised on the
dialogues to recite Tulsidas poems which is being appreciated
by the audience,” said Ravi Kissen.

To overcome the language barrier in the big territories, the
film has also been dubbed into Hindi, Telugu and Tamil.

Enthused by the response in small towns, the studio that owns
the Spiderman franchisee is planning to cast the net
even wider in India.

“We will go even more local in our future big releases,” says
Vikramjit Roy of Sony Pictures. “Localisation of the content is
one of the key factors which will see the pie of Hollywood
films in India grow.”

Local distributors back him up by saying the special effects
gain an added appeal with the dubbed soundtrack. “Spiderman has
a huge fan following in Bihar. The Bhojpuri version has given
them an added attraction to come and see such a big film in
their own language. This has proved that there is a huge market
for such big Hollyood
action films in the interiors of India,” said one distributor
from Bihar.

Inspired by the success of the film in Bhojpuri, Ravi Kissen
says he plans to do his own Bhojpuri take on the film very
soon.

In contrast, the latest Hindi big-budget film, Tara Rum Pum,
which is also set in New York city, has failed miserably in the
heartland.

“Spiderman has done stupendous business in those regions of
India where some mainstream Bollywood films drew abysmally bad
numbers. May be there is a clue for big Hindi film-makers here.
One doesn’t need to change the content, but given local flavour
it can certainly fetch better revenues,” says a trade analyst.