Ticket to Asia

Hollywood studios are focusing on Asia, many of them on Bollywood; a look at some of the big-ticket alliances in recent times

Last week, Steven Spielberg walked out of Paramount Pictures after sealing a 1.2bn deal between India8217;s Reliance Big Entertainment and his DreamWorks brand. In May, Reliance had announced at the Cannes film festival that it was looking to put 1bn into eight Hollywood-based production companies owned by celebrities including George Clooney, Nicolas Cage, Tom Hanks and Brad Pitt.

Last week, Warner Bros released its first Hindi film, Saas Bahu Aur Sensex. The comedy is about a group of Indian housewives who play the stock market. The movie was released across the world on September 19. In 2004, Warner Bros tied up with China8217;s state-run China Film Group and Hengdian Group to produce Chinese films. Warner8217;s second Bollywood venture is S R K and then, there8217;s Chandni Chowk to China, starring Akshay Kumar .

Sony8217;s Columbia Pictures Film Production Asia had earlier produced Ang Lee8217;s Oscar-winning Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, in 2000.

Last year, Walt Disney Company released a Chinese-language children8217;s movie that mixed live action and computer animation. It has also teamed up with Yash Raj Films to make computer-animated movies.

Walt Disney Co. is producing its first Bollywood animated film, Roadside Romeo, featuring the voices of Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor. The film should be released very soon. Last year, Walt Disney Company released a Chinese-language children8217;s movie. It has also teamed up with Yash Raj Films to make computer-animated movies.

Earlier this month, Twentieth Century Fox set up a new Asian studio to tap into Bollywood. The studio is a joint venture between it and the Asian satellite broadcaster Star, both owned by Rupert Murdoch8217;s News Corp. Fox Star Studios will produce Asian-language and Bollywood films.

In 2007, Sony Pictures Entertainment produced its own Bollywood musical, Saawariya. Sanjay Leela Bhansali8217;s film bombed but that hasn8217;t stopped Hollywood studios from investing in Bollywood.

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Ashok Amritraj8217;s US-based Hyde Park Entertainment and the Anil Ambani-led Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group R-ADAG has entered into a 5 year deal 8220;to blend the world of cinema by building bridges between Asian, Indian and American film industries8221;. The first film under the deal, The Other End of the Line, is due to be released across USA on October 31. Said to have a lot of songs but no dances.