Bollywood Makes Way For Hollywood Business in India
When “The Fate of the Furious” opened in India this month, the eighth installment of the blockbuster Hollywood franchise romped past the lone homegrown offering at the Easter weekend box office.
Period drama “Begum Jaan” was the only Bollywood film that dared to challenge “The Fast and the Furious” car-racing franchise, unlike other Indian films that steered clear of a possible clash despite the dearth of slots in a crowded 2017 release calendar.
“It has come to a stage when producers are actually staying away from April 14,” film-maker Vikramaditya Motwane told Reuters in an interview in March.
“No big Hindi film will be released on the day because the last one made a 100 crore ($15.5 million) and this one looks like it will make even more than that.”
Motwane’s words proved pr...