Hindi Film Industry

INTRODUCTION

The bollywood industry is one of the largest industries in India, though it is still not considered to be a mainstream industry because of its highly unorganised structure. Nevertheless it cannot be denied that it is one of the most lucrative and highly volatile sectors, where a film can make or break careers.

The movie industry largely depends on the audience, the consuming public for its revenue. The way and means to reach this diverse audience is through promotions.

Where once, the only source of promotions was “word of mouth”, today there are diverse mediums available. Promotions have become an integral part of the movie budget. Promotions have taken the pride of place in a movie’s marketing campaign. As with any product or offering for which promotions are necessary, it is so with movies too.

These days, promotions start from the day the movie is announced and go on till the day the red carpet premiere takes place. Promotions in themselves have become very essential because film makers have realised that awareness and interest in their films have to be generated much prior to the actual release of the movie so that a movie at least takes a “minimum guarantee” (MG) opening.

Modern hi-fi tech-savvy age showcases new-age cultural phenomena. Movies the cultural index of the society reflect the neo-emerging trends. A movie no longer conveys the message to the audience unless it is presented in an innovative fashion. Movies to move the audience have to be marketed competently with effective promotion, proper distribution channels, state-of-the-art facilities and so on. The channels of communication are explored to launch the film in the most effective manner.

Day by day new age technologies are exploited to give a movie an added edge over others. Promotion is the buzzword. Movies are promoted with a target audience, which eventually determines the box office success rates. Movies like Krrish and Don went ahead by organizing events, brand promotion and commodities; Don with Tag Heuer and Louis Philippe and Krrish with consumer brands like Hrithik's mask, Tiffin boxes, bottles, stationery, etc. The masks targeted the children as an audience group. A brand enables to sensitively connect with the audience according to the age groups. Brand advertising has taken over the movie industry by a storm. Recently Coca Cola had a tie up with Dhoom 2 as a promotion strategy signifying the youth culture. Amitabh Bachchan launched a mobile game Baabul after the movie. The game is obviously to garland Rani Mukherjee by two players, evidently Salman Khan and John Abraham. Movies are reaping huge dividends by making use of the latest promotional strategies.

The dictum of the age is to draw the audience to the cinema halls. Any gimmick would sell provided it gels with the target audience' mindscape. Kabul Express is advertised using a music album while it is primarily a song-less movie. Ekta Kapoor advertised her movies like Krishna Cottage through her leading daily soaps, popular serials.

Marketing strategies are constantly evolving. Bhagam Bhag was launched amidst much hoopla with a race conducted before the movie release in Mumbai, and an added surprise whereby the runners had to unearth gifts hidden at various points. Vivah went on to greet the audience at the theatres with mouth-watering laddoos true to the spirit of the wedding depicted in the film.

On the similar lines Ram Gopal Varma's catalogue for Shiva had a khakhi cover similar to an officer's uniform, and Omkara released a coffee table book recounting the events that transpired during the making of the film. It is an acknowledged fact that films marketed effectively have done well at the box office provided the movie is worth a watch.

With the e-age creating a splutter everywhere, movies are now marketed online with reviews, downloads and other features targeting the net-savvy and multiplex audience of the contemporary age.

INDUSTRY PROFILE

Entertainment Industry in India comprises of Film Industry and Television Industry. The Indian entertainment industry is among the fastest growing sectors in the country. In the past two decades entertainment industry in India has witnessed explosive growth. In television alone, from a single state owned television network, Doordarshan in 1991, today there are over 300 national, regional and local channels being beamed across the country. Indian film industry is the largest film industry in the world, producing on an average, close to a thousand films a year in all languages. In terms of film production India exceeds Hollywood's production volume by over three times. Some of the fastest growing segments in the Indian entertainment industry include music, cable and satellite television, animation and FM.

According to an estimate by FICCI and Ernst and Young Indian entertainment industry would worth more than Rs. 400,000 million in 2008. Several positive developments like the accordance of the 'industry' status to the film industry, satellite channel penetration, the retail boom in the channels for music sales (Music World & Planet M), the use of digital technology in all spheres of entertainment and the growth of multiplexes have contributed to the growth of this sector.

Entertainment industry in India is presently in a consolidation phase as boundary lines between films, music and television are fast disappearing. Skills and resources are being pooled extensively. Besides adaptation to high-end digital technology, the entertainment industry is also witnessing rapid development of state-of-the-art studios and post production facilities.

In terms of employment, an estimated 6 million people earn their livelihood from the entertainment industry and this number is all set to grow. Entertainment industry in India is projected to be one of the major economic driving forces of the country. In India, television is the major segment of entertainment industry. Presently, India has the third largest television market in the world behind only china and the USA. Today, television reaches about hundred million Indian households. India has the world's biggest movie industry in terms of the number of movies produced. Presently, the technology of film-making in India is perhaps the best among all developing countries. Indian film industry is now increasingly getting professional and a lot of production houses such as Yash Raj Productions, Dharma Productions, Mukta Arts etc. are now working on corporate lines.

The popularity of Indian entertainment industry goes