Mediated geographies of Indian film productions in Europe

Keywords: mediated geographies, media, film locations, Indian cinema, Europe
Session Type: Virtual Paper
Day: Friday
Session Start / End Time: 4/9/2021 01:30 PM (Pacific Time (US & Canada)) - 4/9/2021 02:45 PM (Pacific Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 46

Abstract

Indian cinema is widely known market and aesthetic phenomenon with over 2,000 feature films produced every year and more than 90 per cent of domestic market share which is unusual as compared to other national markets of global cinema (Ganti 2012, Punathambekar 2013, Focus 2019). However, the competitive advantage of Indian cinema at domestic market, namely the distinctive stylistic and narrative mode which serves as a market shield against Hollywood hegemony, is also the problem in case of export potential of Indian movies (Martel 2011). The global audience is not used to this pattern of so different stylistic forms and narrative modes. Offshoring seems to become vivid priority for Indian cinema, because prices of tickets at local market are low and the traditional 20th century platform for international presence of Hindi cinema which is Indian diaspora around the world is shrinking. Moreover, Indian filmmakers are seeking attractive European locations to reinvigorate the typical genre formulas of plots by place of action and set design. The “use” of European locations is often tricky. For instance Indian productions in Eastern Europe are often set in cities which "pretend to be" other, Western European cities (e.g. Sophia as Paris, Warsaw as London). The paper will focus on European film locations as imaginary places for Indian producers and audiences and will analyse twofold ontologies of locations (real and imaginary) as well as process of transition and re-creation of places according to imagination.