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Introduction
"Brand Bollywood Downunder"(2023) is a feature documentary directed by Indian-Australian director Anupam Sharma. The film is based on and explores the complex relationship between Indian cinema, particularly Bollywood, and its influence on the global film industry, with a specific focus on its impact on Australian cinema. Through interviews, archival footage, and analysis, "Brand Bollywood Downunder" explores and elaborates how Bollywood has transcended borders and shaped storytelling techniques, music, dance, and visual aesthetics in films worldwide. The documentary sheds light on the phenomenon of 'Bollywoodization' and globalization of Indian cinema and its profound effects on filmmaking practices around the globe. Among the speakers enlisted in Brand Bollywood, are Farhan Akhtar, Fardeen Khan, Harman Baweja and Anupam Kher.

Plot
Brand Bollywood Downunder documents the story of Bollywood’s growing popularity and influence in Australia and around the world, revealing the industry’s inner workings on a global scale. The documentary celebrates Hindi-language cinema and the globalization of Indian popular cinema through its love affair with Australia, from 1897 to 2023.

The film highlights the subculture of Bollywood in form and content as it delves beneath the colourful exterior of Hollywood’s biggest rival to discover the artistry, organised chaos, music, dance, politics and unique characters that have led to Bollywood taking Australia, and the world, by storm.

Brand Bollywood…Downunder, also considered just “Brand Bollywood” as its international title, is narrated by a female voice who is the personification of “India”. Made with a cross-cultural film team widely credited as a major influence on the growth of ties between the Australian and Indian film industries.

Brand Bollywood is a celebration of Bollywood cinema and its expansion as a global entertainment giant. In a sometimes hilarious clash of filmmaking cultures, the film explores the successes and failures of Bollywood's rise as a serious subculture. It looks through the myths and legends that surround the industry and witnesses the Bollywood reality - something far more entertaining than any fictional tale.

Cast
Presented in the documentary as themselves:


 * A.K. Tareen, Senior Trade Commissioner India/SA Government 2005-13
 * Akarsh Khurana, Writer, director and actor
 * Amit Khanna
 * Anupam Kher
 * Anupam Sharma
 * Apooorva Lakhia
 * Aseem Bajaj
 * Aseem Chhabra
 * Ashutosh Gowariker
 * Daniel Lucas
 * David Redman
 * Deepti Sachdeva
 * Dr. Amit Sarwal
 * Dr. Vikrant Kishore
 * Fardeen Feroz Khan
 * Farhan Akhtar
 * Harman Baweja
 * Helen Leake
 * Jacqui Feeney
 * Jane Smith
 * Jazeel Mistry
 * Jitarth Jai Bharadwaj
 * Julie Marlow
 * Karl Quinn
 * Kingston Anderson
 * Kunal Kapoor
 * Leena Yadav
 * Louisa Coppel
 * Lynn Gailey
 * Maithili Rao
 * Manpreet Singh
 * Meenakshi Shedde
 * Mike Rann
 * Nasreen Munni Kabir
 * Nataranjan Ramji
 * Neil Mccart
 * Nitin Gupta
 * Paul de Carvalho
 * Peter Castaldi
 * Ritesh Sidhwani
 * Robin Baker
 * Sajid Nadiadwala
 * Salim Merchant
 * Sameer Nair
 * Shabbir Wahid
 * Sharda Subramaniam
 * Smm Ausaja
 * Sonia Gandhi
 * Sushant Tungare
 * Ted Baillieu
 * Tatuli Bartaia
 * Vipul Amrutlal
 * Vivek Vaswani

Background
The movie follows and narrates the history of  89 years of links between the Australian and Indian film industry. Spanning from 1897 to 2023, Brand Bollywood Downunder is the story of ‘Bollywoodisation’ and the globalization of Indian popular cinema through its growing influence in Australia. Featuring interviews with icons of Hindi cinema along with rare behind-the-scenes of Bollywood stars filming at picturesque locations in Australia and the West, Brand Bollywood pays homage to the popular film industry and subculture of Bollywood in form and content.

The documentary provides rare insiders of the brass and farce of Bollywood's inner workings on a global scale. One of the themes that is explored in Brand Bollywood is the relationship between India and Australia and how both countries approach film production. This is highlighted by the following quotes presented in the film: “In India, as we say in the film, you have 20 people handling one light. In Australia, there are two people handling 100 lights,” said by [ [[Anupam Sharma]]] in the film, which follows “They [ Australians] didn't realize how come these guys [Indians] can work without call sheets, schedules and scripts. And for me, it was very interesting because I was having it from both sides. The Australians were saying, ‘You're Australian, you know how it works’. And then the Indians were saying, ‘You're Indian, you know how it works’, and concludes with “But amidst all those conflicts, and amidst all the difficulties, the love for cinema from both sides won.” (Anupam Sharma in the film Brand Bollywood…Downunder)

The film’s core questions delve into the meaning of Bollywood, what it represents, what does it mean to those who create the movies and those who watch them. As Anupam Kher says in the film “We make 1.4 billion people happy. We don’t sell misery of life, we celebrate life”.

Reception
Brand Bollywood’s release was timed to match the most important Indian holiday of the year - Diwali.

Considered ‘Worth Watching’ by David Stratton in The Weekend Australian, Brand Bollywood had its World Premiere at the Dendi Bollywood Film Festival in November 5th, 2023.

And, In the same year, the film received selections at the Oxford International Film Festival (OIFFF), Byron Bay Film Festival, and the International Film Festival of India. Barry Hill Oam called it ‘a must, whether you are a Bollywood newbie or a dedicated follower’ and Alicia Vrajlal stated that ‘Director Anupam Sharma strives to set the record straight on what Bollywood is really about’. Caroline Russo from Hush Hush Biz stated that “Brand Bollywood Downunder” offers an insightful exploration of Bollywood’s rich history, highlighting its significant role in shaping Indian cinema and culture”.

On Sunday, May 12, 2024, after being released on over 39 screens in Australia, Brand Bollywood won the Flame award for Best Documentary at the annual 26th UK Asian Film Festival, where it had its European premiere, along with an invitation by the Indian High Commissioner at India House in London.

The award was received on behalf of the film by Manpreet Kaur Singh, a journalist and broadcaster at SBS who was one of the on-screen talent in the film talking about Bollywood in Australia, and who captured the essence of Australia’s 89-year-old love affair with Indian Cinema with her statement: “from something foreign to one of our own”.

In addition, Brand Bollywood was considered to have “a highly entertaining and informative look at Indian film-making culture and how it has affected filmmaking across the world. A must, whether you are a Bollywood newbie or dedicated follower!" by Stage Whispers and was labelled a “Thoroughly Engaging Documentary” in The Age / The Sydney Morning Herald.

Brand Bollywood Down Under received positive reception, with a score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a score of 9.8 on IMDb.