In addition to their popularity among the Indian diaspora from
Nigeria and
Senegal to
Egypt and
Russia, generations of non-Indians have grown up with Bollywood. and
China. Bollywood entered the consciousness of Western audiences and producers during the late 20th century, and Western actors now seek roles in Bollywood films.
Asia-Pacific South Asia Bollywood films are also popular in
Bangladesh,
Pakistan and
Nepal, where Hindustani language is widely understood. Many Pakistanis understand Hindi, due to its linguistic similarity to
Urdu. Although Pakistan banned the import of Bollywood films in 1965, trade in unlicensed DVDs and illegal cable broadcasts ensured their continued popularity. Exceptions to the ban were made for a few films, such as the colourised re-release of
Mughal-e-Azam and
Taj Mahal in 2006. Early in 2008, the Pakistani government permitted the import of 16 films. More easing followed in 2009 and 2010. Although it is opposed by nationalists and representatives of Pakistan's small film industry, it is embraced by cinema owners who are making a profit after years of low receipts. Bollywood films in Nepal earn more than
Nepali films, and Salman Khan,
Akshay Kumar and Shah Rukh Khan are popular in the country. The films are also popular in
Afghanistan due to its proximity to the Indian subcontinent and their cultural similarities, particularly in music. Popular actors include Shah Rukh Khan,
Ajay Devgan,
Sunny Deol,
Aishwarya Rai,
Preity Zinta, and Madhuri Dixit. A number of Bollywood films were filmed in Afghanistan and some dealt with the country, including
Dharmatma,
Kabul Express,
Khuda Gawah and
Escape From Taliban.
Southeast Asia Bollywood films are popular in
Southeast Asia, particularly in
maritime Southeast Asia. The three Khans are very popular in the
Malay world, including
Indonesia,
Malaysia, and
Singapore. The films are also fairly popular in
Thailand. India has
cultural ties with Indonesia, and Bollywood films were introduced to the country at the end of
World War II in 1945. The "angry young man" films of
Amitabh Bachchan and
Salim–Javed were popular during the 1970s and 1980s before Bollywood's popularity began gradually declining in the 1980s and 1990s. It experienced an Indonesian revival with the release of Shah Rukh Khan's
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) in 2001, which was a bigger box-office success in the country than
Titanic (1997). Bollywood has had a strong presence in Indonesia since then, particularly Shah Rukh Khan films such as
Mohabbatein (2000),
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001),
Kal Ho Naa Ho,
Chalte Chalte and
Koi... Mil Gaya (all 2003), and
Veer-Zaara (2004).
East Asia Some Bollywood films have been widely appreciated in
China,
Japan, and
South Korea. Several Hindi films have been commercially successful in Japan, including
Mehboob Khan's
Aan (1952, starring
Dilip Kumar) and
Aziz Mirza's
Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman (1992, starring
Shah Rukh Khan). The latter sparked a two-year boom in Indian films after its 1997 release, with
Dil Se.. (1998) a beneficiary of the boom. The highest-grossing Hindi film in Japan is
3 Idiots (2009), starring
Aamir Khan, which received a
Japanese Academy Award nomination. The film was also a critical and commercial success in South Korea.
Dr. Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani,
Awaara, and
Do Bigha Zamin were successful in China during the 1940s and 1950s, and remain popular with their original audience. Few Indian films were commercially successful in the country during the 1970s and 1980s, among them
Tahir Hussain's
Caravan,
Noorie and
Disco Dancer. Indian film stars popular in China included Raj Kapoor,
Nargis, Films by Aamir Khan have recently been successful, and
Lagaan was the first Indian film with a nationwide Chinese release in 2011.
Chinese filmmaker
He Ping was impressed by
Lagaan (particularly its soundtrack), and hired its composer
A. R. Rahman to score his
Warriors of Heaven and Earth (2003). When
3 Idiots was released in China, China was the
world's 15th-largest film market (partly due to its widespread pirate
DVD distribution at the time). The pirate market introduced the film to Chinese audiences, however, and it became a
cult hit. According to the
Douban film-review site,
3 Idiots is China's 12th-most-popular film of all time; only one domestic Chinese film (
Farewell My Concubine) ranks higher, and
Aamir Khan acquired a large Chinese fan base as a result. China became the world's second-largest film market (after the United States) by 2013, paving the way for Khan's box-office success with
Dhoom 3 (2013),
PK (2014), and
Dangal (2016). the fifth-highest-grossing non-
English language film worldwide, and the highest-grossing non-English foreign film in any market. Several Khan films, including ,
3 Idiots, and
Dangal, are highly rated on Douban. His next film,
Secret Superstar (2017, starring
Zaira Wasim), broke
Dangals record for the highest-grossing opening weekend by an Indian film and cemented Khan's status as "a king of the Chinese box office";
Secret Superstar was China's highest-grossing foreign film of 2018 to date. Khan has become a household name in China, with his success described as a form of Indian
soft power improving
China–India relations despite political tensions. the success of Khan's films has driven up the price for Chinese distributors of Indian film imports.
Salman Khan's
Bajrangi Bhaijaan and
Irrfan Khan's
Hindi Medium were also Chinese hits in early 2018.
Oceania Although Bollywood is less successful on some Pacific islands such as
New Guinea, it ranks second to Hollywood in
Fiji (with its large Indian minority),
Australia and
New Zealand. Australia also has a large South Asian diaspora, and Bollywood is popular amongst non-Asians in the country as well. It was followed by the box-office successes
Heyy Babyy, (2007)
Chak De! India (2007), and
Singh Is Kinng (2008). Australian actress
Tania Zaetta, who appeared in
Salaam Namaste and several other Bollywood films, was eager to expand her career in Bollywood.
Eastern Europe and Central Asia Bollywood films are popular in the former
Soviet Union (
Russia,
Eastern Europe, and
Central Asia), and have been dubbed into
Russian. Indian films were
more popular in the Soviet Union than Hollywood films and, sometimes, domestic
Soviet films. The first Indian film released in the Soviet Union was
Dharti Ke Lal (1946), directed by
Khwaja Ahmad Abbas and based on the
Bengal famine of 1943, in 1949. most were Bollywood films with higher average audience figures than domestic Soviet productions. Fifty Indian films had over 20 million viewers, compared to 41 Hollywood films. Some, such as
Awaara (1951) and
Disco Dancer (1982), had more than 60 million viewers and established actors
Raj Kapoor,
Nargis, and
Mithun Chakraborty in the country. According to diplomat Ashok Sharma, who served in the
Commonwealth of Independent States, After the collapse of the Soviet film-distribution system, Hollywood filled the void in the Russian film market and Bollywood's market share shrank.
Squad (2021) is the first Indian film to be shot in
Belarus. A majority of the film was shot at
Belarusfilm studios, in
Minsk.
Middle East and North Africa Hindi films have become popular in
Arab countries, and imported Indian films are usually subtitled in Arabic when they are released. Bollywood has progressed in
Israel since the early 2000s, with channels dedicated to Indian films on cable television;
MBC Bollywood and
Zee Aflam show Hindi movies and serials. In Egypt, Bollywood films were popular during the 1970s and 1980s. In 1987, however, they were restricted to a handful of films by the
Egyptian government.
Amitabh Bachchan has remained popular in the country and Indian tourists visiting Egypt are asked, "Do you know Amitabh Bachchan?" Bollywood movies are regularly screened in Dubai cinemas, and Bollywood is becoming popular in Turkey;
Barfi! was the first Hindi film to have a wide theatrical release in that country. Bollywood also has viewers in Central Asia (particularly
Uzbekistan and
Tajikistan).
South America Bollywood films are not influential in most of South America, although its culture and dance is recognised. Due to significant South Asian diaspora communities in
Suriname and
Guyana, however, Hindi-language movies are popular. In 2006,
Dhoom 2 became the first Bollywood film to be shot in
Rio de Janeiro. In January 2012, it was announced that UTV Motion Pictures would begin releasing films in
Peru with
Guzaarish.
Africa Hindi films were originally distributed to some parts of Africa by
Lebanese businessmen. In the 1950s, Hindi and
Egyptian films were generally more popular than Hollywood films in
East Africa. By the 1960s, East Africa was one of the largest overseas export markets for Indian films, accounting for about 20-50% of global earnings for many Indian films.
Mother India (1957) continued to be screened in
Nigeria decades after its release. Indian movies have influenced
Hausa clothing, songs have been covered by Hausa singers, and stories have influenced Nigerian novelists. Stickers of Indian films and stars decorate taxis and buses in Nigeria's
Northern Region, and posters of Indian films hang on the walls of tailoring shops and mechanics' garages. Unlike Europe and North America, where Indian films cater to the expatriate market, Bollywood films became popular in West Africa despite the lack of a significant Indian audience. One possible explanation is cultural similarity: the wearing of turbans, animals in markets; porters carrying large bundles, and traditional wedding celebrations. Within Muslim culture, Indian movies were said to show "respect" toward women; Hollywood movies were seen as having "no shame". In Indian movies, women are modestly dressed; men and women rarely kiss and there is no
nudity, so the films are said to "have culture" which Hollywood lacks. The latter "don't base themselves on the problems of the people"; Indian films are based on socialist values and the reality of developing countries emerging from years of colonialism. Indian movies permitted a new youth culture without "becoming Western." In
South Africa, film imports from India were watched by black and
Indian audiences.
Dil Jo Bhi Kahey... (2005) was also filmed almost entirely in
Mauritius, which has a large ethnic-Indian population. Bollywood, however, seems to be diminishing in popularity in Africa. New Bollywood films are more sexually explicit and violent. Nigerian viewers observed that older films (from the 1950s and 1960s) had more culture and were less Westernised. The emergence of
Nollywood (
West Africa's film industry) has also contributed to the declining popularity of Bollywood films, as sexualised Indian films became more like American films.
Kishore Kumar and
Amitabh Bachchan have been popular in
Egypt and
Somalia. In
Ethiopia, Bollywood movies are shown with Hollywood productions in
town square theatres such as the Cinema Ethiopia in
Addis Ababa. Less-commercial Bollywood films are also screened elsewhere in
North Africa.
Western Europe and North America The first Indian film to be released in the
Western world and receive mainstream attention was
Aan (1952), directed by
Mehboob Khan and starring
Dilip Kumar and
Nimmi. It was subtitled in 17 languages and released in 28 countries, including the
United Kingdom, the
United States, and
France.
Aan received significant praise from British critics, and
The Times compared it favourably to Hollywood productions. Mehboob Khan's later
Academy Award-nominated
Mother India (1957) was a success in overseas markets, including
Europe, Many Bollywood films have been commercially successful in the United Kingdom. The most successful Indian actor at the British box office has been
Shah Rukh Khan, whose popularity in
British Asian communities played a key role in introducing Bollywood to the UK with films such as
Darr (1993),
Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (1995), and
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998). and
Scandinavia. Bollywood films are dubbed in
German and shown regularly on the German television channel
RTL II. Germany is the second-largest European market for Indian films, after the United Kingdom. The most recognised Indian actor in Germany is Shah Rukh Khan, who has had box-office success in the country with films such as
Don 2 (2011) and
Om Shanti Om (2007). He has a large German fan base, particularly in
Berlin (where the tabloid
Die Tageszeitung compared his popularity to that of the
pope). joining students for a Bollywood dance clinic with
Nakul Dev Mahajan in the
White House State Dining Room, 2013 Bollywood has experienced revenue growth in
Canada and the United States, particularly in the South Asian communities of large cities such as
Toronto, Chicago, and New York City.
Yash Raj Films, one of India's largest production houses and distributors, reported in September 2005 that Bollywood films in the United States earned about $100 million per year in theatre screenings, video sales and the sale of movie soundtracks; Indian films earn more money in the United States than films from any other non-English speaking country. Since the mid-1990s, a number of Indian films have been largely (or entirely) shot in New York, Los Angeles, Vancouver or Toronto. Films such as
The Guru (2002) and
Marigold: An Adventure in India (2007) attempted to popularise Bollywood for Hollywood. ==See also==