Why don't Bollywood superstars do more in Hollywood?

Why don't Bollywood superstars do more in Hollywood? - Pink and White Love Print Textile

I love Bollywood movies and Hollywood movies. There are a great number of superstars in Bollywood who act well and are globally renowned. But we have not seen much participation of Bollywood stars in the Hollywood film industry.

We have seen them participate very little, if at all, in Hollywood, and their participation is usually insignificant compared to other major Hollywood actors.

For example Anil Kapoor's tiny part in MI4 or Irfan Khan in Slumdog Millonaire is far less than what Bollywood has provided these actors in the past.

So what might be the reason Bollywood actors do not like to work in Hollywood?

Is that because they hesitate because of language problem?

Or do they fear comparing with other great heroes in Hollywood?



Best Answer

When we're talking about Hollywood, we usually talk about big budget movies. Studios fund these movie projects not out of love of art, but to make a profit. To make a sizable profit they need to sell the movie to the audience so that they buy tickets (and buy DVDs and BluRays ... etc). One of the bigger selling points of any movies is the cast. People will pay money to see their favorite actors on screen. That's why actors with greater popularity (even if they don't really act that well) can demand bigger salaries.

Now, every country has its own cache of superstar actors that people in their own country will recognize. But very very seldom does this recognition cross borders. If you ask any Indian (or fan of Indian cinema) who Amitabh Bachchan is, they will most likely know who he is. Now ask that same question to anyone else, and they'll probably have to Google the answer. Thus, Amitabh Bachchan can sell movies to Indians and fans of Indian movies but probably not to the rest of the world.

It's not a comment on their acting abilities, but on their selling ability.

Another thing is that Hollywood casting is still pretty much stuck on stereotypes. When Hollywood casts an actor of an ethnic background, they will usually stick that actor with a role stereotypical to his ethnicity. So when they cast an Indian actor, it will be to fill a certain type of role instead of a generic one. Thus, Ashwariya Rai as an Indian girl in an arranged marriage, Dev Patel as an Indian slums boy .... etc. That stereotyping further limits the role of Non-American actors (not just Bollywood actors) in Hollywood.




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Do Bollywood actors make more than Hollywood?

According to India-based entertainment site Propakistani, Bollywood's highest paid actor Akshay Kumar took home $58 million last year, which puts him in around fourth place when compared to Hollywood actors and on par with Scarlett Johansson.

Is Hollywood more successful than Bollywood?

In terms of the number of movies per year and worldwide audience, Bollywood is clearly bigger, producing 1,000 movies in a typical year watched by a worldwide audience of 3 billion, compared to Hollywood's 500 movies annually watched by 2.6 billion viewers worldwide.

Why is Bollywood more popular than Hollywood?

Simple stories, great characters, and highly relatable subjects in Bollywood movies while Hollywood focusses more on technical aspects and editing of the movie. Our stories are simple with a very basic backdrop. We don't have too much of sci-fi or technology involved.

Why Indian movies are not like Hollywood?

It is because Hollywood films are often produced by major studios like 20th Century Fox or Warner Bros. In Bollywood, movies are usually backed by individual producers or production houses like Dharma Productions or Yash Raj Films.



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Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Ann H, Brett Jordan, Anete Lusina, Brett Jordan