A dash of H’wood shine

[1]

After Kylie Minogue dancing to Chiggy Wiggy and Akon lending his voice to Chhammak Chhallo, the buzz is that Hollywood hottie Nicole Kidman will put on her dancing shoes for a Bollywood flick. A news report reveals that the actor has been offered an item number and has agreed to do it if she is paid `5 crore.

This isn’t the first time that an international star has been offered a big sum for a small stint in a Bollywood film. In the past, international stars such as Sylvester Stallone, Kylie Minogue and others have been roped in for cameos that cost a bomb. An international star’s presence does add extra gloss to a film, but does it truly add value too? And does the investment fetch good returns?
Not really. Filmwallahs think that a huge amount spent in bringing in big stars from Hollywood isn’t quite a profitable proposition. Producer Rohit Roy says that an international icon may help in creating the buzz or adding five minutes of extra interest to a film, but on a larger level, the creative input is limited. “It may give an edge in terms of promoting the film. But the huge sum invested in getting a Kidman or a Minogue to dance on an item number doesnt really pay,” he says.
Rahul Mittra, who entered production this year with the film Saheb, Biwi aur Ghulam, has a more practical approach. “It is the budget that makes or breaks a movie. One should only spend a huge amount on enhancing a certain section of a movie, like technical development or plotline. At the end, it’s the storyline and development of the film that pulls the audience, not the presence of an international icon,” he says.
Mitra also thinks that paying a big amount to an international icon like Kidman is a sheer wastage at the cost of the audience. “A certain section of the audience will go and watch the movie only because of the name of someone like Kidman associated with the film. And if the film doesn’t have a convincing storyline, it’s the loss of the audience in the end,” he says.
Filmmaker Rahul Dholakia, who is known for making heart-hitting realistic drama, says that if he were to spend such a big amount on getting a fine actress like Nicole Kidman, he would have her do better, meaningful work. “Why would I pay her such a big amount to do an item number when I know she can add a lot to my film if she has a role in it? I don’t know about others but as far as I’m concerned, if I’m capable of getting an actor like Kidman, I’d rather want her to do a performance-oriented role and not an item number,” he says.