Despite the growing wave of nationalistic cinema in India, overseas audiences remain largely unmoved by its fervour. While films like Chhaava, Sky Force, and The Kashmir Files have struck a chord domestically, their overseas performance tells a different story.
Trade experts say that Indian diaspora viewers prefer mainstream entertainers packed with music and drama, steering clear of films perceived as politically charged.
With ticket prices significantly higher abroad and no government-backed push for such narratives, the patriotic box office formula that works in India is failing to resonate beyond its borders.
Box office math
For instance, Akshay Kumar-starrer Sky Force grossed a mere ₹13.7 crore overseas while Kangana Ranaut’s Emergency made ₹2.08 crore. Older titles such as The Kashmir Files and The Kerala Story had earned ₹43.39 crore and ₹15.64 crore respectively.
The latest Bollywood blockbuster Chhaava has done better with earnings of around ₹88 crore, but the figure pales in comparison to its domestic gross of over ₹600 crore. This is despite the fact that tickets are priced much higher in several other countries as compared to India.
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“Overseas audiences eagerly await the mainstream movies, in fact watching these is one of their favourite things to do. But they steer away from any content that is seen brewing trouble or showing the country in a polarising or controversial light,” film producer and distributor Yusuf Shaikh said.
Shaikh added that while word-of-mouth from India can sometimes create buzz and drive up box office collections for such nationalist films, overseas audiences largely remain indifferent to content that leans heavily on chest-thumping patriotism.
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For example, Gadar 2, a period drama set during the Indo-Pakistan war of 1971, may have set the cash registers ringing within India with collections of over ₹500 crore but only managed ₹65 crore overseas.
Film producer, trade and exhibition expert Girish Johar agreed the box office traction for nationalist films abroad does not match the enthusiasm within India. “Unlike what is the case with home audiences, expensive ticket prices play a role and viewers are more content-driven,” Johar pointed out.
What sells beyond India
To be sure, trade experts say while buzz around the movies within India is crucial, films featuring mainstream stars and the song-and-dance trope usually tend to be lapped easily by overseas audiences in territories such as the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand.
Higher ticket prices overseas further boost earnings. In fact, recent star films such as Shah Rukh Khan’s Dunki and Salman Khan’s Tiger 3, both of which were seen as underperformers in India, found traction overseas.
The former made over ₹196 crore in overseas gross, as compared to ₹262 crore within the country, while the latter earned ₹120 crore abroad versus ₹346 crore domestically.
Further, Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, directed by Karan Johar, a popular name abroad, had made over ₹172 crore overseas compared to its domestic earnings of ₹153 crore.
Industry experts point out that the discrepancy may also have to do with the government push for at least some of these films such as The Kashmir Files and The Kerala Story within the country with top leaders naming them in speeches.
“There is a government machinery to push the narrative in India, but that’s not the case overseas. Certain sections of the diasporic audience may prefer such content but by and large, viewers there do not go by sentiments, especially when tickets are so expensive,” a film producer said on condition of anonymity.
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https://www.livemint.com/industry/media/diaspora-disconnect-bollywood-s-patriotic-films-fail-to-strike-a-chord-overseas-11742973444358.html
