Hollywood's Bollywood dreams go sour

Industry sources say Sony Pictures Entertainment has all but abandoned its plans for Bollywood production after "Saawariya" foundered at the box-office in 2007.

"Internationally, Hollywood has been cagey with its releases, so it would be the same in India," says analyst Rajesh Jain of KPMG.

"Studios have realised that the distribution business is a good one. They are working on enhanced strategies for the same and setting up stronger distribution networks."

Of the major studios, only Warner Bros. Pictures and Disney have at least one film scheduled to release in 2010, while Fox Star Studios has no immediate plans to get into production.

"We don't want to rush into anything. We do want to produce Bollywood films, but would prefer to do it a few films at a time," said Vijay Singh of Fox Star Studios, a joint venture between Twentieth Century Fox and the Star Network.

"I think the key is to reach out to audiences, understand what they want and then deliver it to them."

For now, Fox Star Studios is content with its distribution deal for filmmaker Karan Johar's February release "My Name Is Khan". Its plans of releasing as many as 500 prints of the film in more than 65 countries worldwide are unprecedented for a Bollywood project.

Sony Pictures did distribute some Bollywood films like "Straight" and "Tere Sang" last year and are releasing "Thanks Maa" in 2010.

"We are of course looking at distributing Bollywood films, but the product has to be right for us," Managing Director Kercy Daruwala said.

CHALLENGES REMAIN

India, home to the world's most prolific movie industry, has long tried to draw wider audiences, including by forging ventures with Hollywood studios looking to offset sluggish box office sales with new markets and cheaper production costs.