Dubai and Bollywood: A community’s construction 2015

Dubai and Bollywood: A community’s construction Emirians are known for their love of Bollywood movies. A significant reason for this cause is the high demography of Indian population in the country. According to the embassy of India, 30% of the total populations of the country are Indians. This considerable influence has reflected the culture, arts and business of the Emirians. Accordingly the love of Bollywood is growing stronger in the Emirati community. The 11TH Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) gave a virtuoso reception for the Indian movie „Welcome Back‟ (2014). The movie is filmed in the emirates was premiered with an array of popular stars in the DIFF. This is an instance of a Bollywood reception received in the U.A.E. In this article I will be observing the impact and influence of Bollywood industry in United Arab Emirates and Emiratis.

Bollywood Dubai of Khan, Romance and Action: Survey Analysis A survey was conducted among 52 Emirians and Arab expatriates in December 2014 (Dubai and Sharjah). The main objective of the survey was to analyze the viewership and reach of Bollywood industry in the nation. 36. 5% of the total participants were Emirians and the rest were from other GCC countries. The survey received mostly positive feedback about the Bollywood. 93% of the total participants were exposed to the Bollywood industry. 53% of the participants were of 25-34 of age. Accordingly 25% of the participants were of 35-44 of age. 11.5% were aged more 45 and 10% less than 20. 28.8% of the participants watched Hindi movies quite often, whereas 32.6 % viewed it intermittently and 30.8% still watched it rarely. 3.8% of the respondents were not inclined Bollywood. However, all the participants were aware of the industry existence. As analyzed from the survey the genre preferences were figured out as a significant reason as their acceptance towards Bollywood. 40.7 % of the total respondents chose action and romance as their most favorite genres. Accordingly 32.7% of the Bollywood lovers preferred Drama. Musical movies are considered as the least yet considerable genre by 13.5% of the participants.

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Dubai and Bollywood: A community’s construction 2015 The participants of the survey are identified as ardent fans of Sharukh Khan. 42.3% of the Bollywood fans of the survey stated Khan as their favorite hero. Some respondents expressed that they watch Hindi movies for Khan. Among the favorite movie detailing a significant (27%) number of the participants chose the movies acted by Khan. 24% of the Bollywood lovers watched it for beautiful actresses namely Aishwarya Rai, Kareena Kapoor and others whereas 11.5% participants gripped on Salman Khan. 13.5 % of the total participants‟ picked Happy New Year (2014) as their favorite movie. The movie was filmed in the Dubai Atlantis. The movie favorites of the respondants were of a recent period ranging after 2000 such as Aashiqui 2 (2013), 3 Idiots (2009), Veer Zaara (2004), Slum dog billionaire (2008) etc. These choices indicate that the community is more up to date about the Bollywood scenario. Moreover three fourths of the respondents were very much inclined to Bollywood stage shows held in Dubai. More than half the participants of the survey are viewers of MBC Bollywood, which processed a rapid growth the Middle East after its launch in 2013. 36% watched Zee Aflam and 8% are viewers watched Zee Ahlan which are exclusively dedicated for dubbed Hindi programs and movies the region. The Hindi movie goers stated Grand turned Novo cinemas as their preferred Bollywood cinema hall. Vox cinemas and Reel cinemas are voted 31% and 29% respectively for the community‟s Bollywood experience. Ahamed, an Emirian RTO professional detailed that the love of Bollywood originated in him since from his childhood. His community life among Indians, Pakistanis and other Asian expatriates paved him the way for Bollywood love. His errands to south Indian grocery shops and close knit living made him understand their culture and accordingly bollywood. He also detailed that since his young kids are enveloped in the flat life they are more inclined towards Hollywood. Nevertheless he expressed his concern that the present day Bollywood caters a lot of obscenity which is an unlikely choice for a family.

The base: Cultural and demographical support The foundation cause of the popularity of Bollywood in Dubai is Indian Diaspora which dates back to 1970.The success of Bollywood in Dubai could be analyzed with an instance from Nustrat Durrani‟s career. He is currently serving as the MTV general manager in Brooklyn (Punathambekar, 2013, p.73). Durrani who has worked in India and Dubai was attempting to familiarize MTV world initiative in Newyork. However the New York City has not understood the true essence of Bollywood and the place had only a fewer number of Indians. He observes that certainly there is a relation between Diasporas and Bollywood. On contrary to that in Dubai the scenario is different. The Indian Diaspora demography is powerful enough to sustain the Industry in Dubai. According to the statistics 43 percent of the expatriate populations in the country are Indians (Barrett, 2010, pp.62- 63). Besides a vast Bollywood background could be traced from British Raj Indians (Pakistanis and Bangladeshis) in U.A.E which accounts to nearly 68 %. The impact of Bollywood shades could be traced back to ancient days where condiment business and pearl trade prevailed between the two countries. Many of the Emirians does have the family name “Al- Hind”.

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Dubai and Bollywood: A community’s construction 2015 Dubai is having a huge demography of Arab and Indian expatriates. Though the Emirians and Arabs share a lot of religious and heritage similarities, they have a huge deal of affection towards the Indians. Their love for Indian business and art has even radiated towards Indian Bollywood since the beginning of Diaspora period in 1970s.Soon the population ratio and social similarities between the Emirians and Arabs became vague. Consequently the cultural bond among Indian expatriates and the nationals had increased considerably (Ali, .S, 2010, p.147). With the dawn of 1970s much of a workforce came to the city searching for a living. It comprises of the blue collared and white collared Indian expatriates. Jawahar Chooda a popular Bollywood journalist based in Dubai states that he came to Dubai with a different mindset (Gupte, 2011, pp.86, 89). Initially he thought Hindi movies were not screened in Dubai. Later on he started writing for Bollywood with Hindi actor Sheeba as his first interviewee. She has acted in “Yeh aag Kab Bujhegi” (1991) and was present in Dubai at that time. “We are so inter-related. Our relationship with India and Indians dates back 700 years, if not more. Indians have been settled here for many years. It was always Indian movies that were shown here, not the English movies” (Kannan, 2014). These are the words of an Emirian entrepreneur, Saeed Al Musallam. According to Mussallam he prefers to watch Hindi movies rather than Egyptian movies with whom the community is closely associated. In addition to that Mussallam have not watched an Arabic movie. The findings of Bollywood love of Arabs are not alone limited with layman. Wiam Dahmahi, an Emirian anchor and singer is known for her love for Bollywood (Renuka, 2011, p.1). She is anchoring a show talking about the Bollywood culture in U.A.E. Dahmahi flies frequently to India to interview celebrities for her show. She has also acted in a Punjabi movie Ishq Khuda (2013).

Warm Welcome: Reception and revenue Bollywood is the most accepted and highest grossing movie industry in the Arabian Gulf. The Bollywood fans of Dubai are not alone confined to Indian expatriates. Nearly quarters of the Bollywood fans in the Dubai are locals (National, 2014). United Arab Emirates is ranked as second in the category of national movie goers among the Middle Eastern and Northern African (MENA) countries (Doha Film Institute, 2014). Accordingly this hype is reflected on the revenue scales of the movies screened in the country. It is also observed that Middle East is Bollywood‟s third largest foreign market (Shika, 2012, p. 80).Recently a viewership increase of 29% is seen in the GCC regions. (Renuka, 2011) The Bollywood channels which are exclusively dedicated for Arabs also bagging huge revenue. Channels like B4U movies are telecasting five Hindi movies per week. But the scenario has changed with the advent of other channels. Within a span of 6 months MBC Bollywood garnered a viewership of 430000. Similarly Zee Aflam which was launched earlier accumulated 700000 viewers. Later on both have crossed a viewership of 800000. According to the recent statistics producers gained a more fan base of 300000.Consequently the Zee Aflam had an audience growth rate of more than a quarter percent whereas MBC Bollywood gained a 300 percent growth in its first three months of launch.

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Dubai and Bollywood: A community’s construction 2015 Hindi soap operas of dubbed version are highly received by the Emirians (Hussein, 2014). An instance could be identified from Sehr Al Asmar of MBC Bollywood, which is a dubbed version of Indian soap Saraswatichandra. On April 22, the show was capable of diverting 81000 audience of MBC1 during its telecast. It is estimated that nearly 35 Arabic channels shows Bollywood content for the viewers. The Arabic dubbing industry in the region is becoming a profitable arena (Mustafa, 2013).TRI media a pioneer in the dubbing industry testifies that Bollywood productions are growing as an arena of economic harvest. It is observed that 60 percent of clients of the dubbing studios are with Indian content. And the studios have grossed a 60 percent increase in its revenues. Bamadevan of Tanmeer group says that the dubbing schedule of these artists can exceed up to 10 day a month. “Indian films have been all-time favorites to the Gulf audience and in the recent years it has increased a lot as some of the major television networks have launched exclusive channels for Bollywood titles in the Middle East “He added(National, 2014). Economic times report that the Bollywood tourism is likely to grow prominent in the region. For the Indian International film awards held in 2006, Dubai‟s largest conference hotel hosted 350 Hindi celebrities (Renuka, 2011, p.2). Lama group a popular tour organizer, has already induced such a package during IIFA awards. The price range is varying from 680 $ to 68000$ approximately. Another fact to brag is the number of cinema houses in Dubai. Novo Cinema turned Grand cinema has a number of more than 60 theaters whereas Vox cinemas exceeds more than 50. The luxurious experiences of Dubai mall is an added advantage too. The movie goers are also reckoning the cost effective cinema experience in Dubai. Here a family can limit the experience in more or less 30 $.

Dubai and “Don- companies” Ibrahim Dawood, head of the Indian crime syndicate D- Company has invested in the Bollywood Industry after his flee to Dubai. The Arab metropolis Dubai has witnessed the dark side of Bollywood productions during 1980‟s. 1980s: A laundering Strategy - Dubai is considered as a safe haven for many Indian mafia sultans. The popular among them is Ibrahim Dawood who has fled to Dubai during 1980‟s. (Barrett, 2010, p.159) Ibrahim is listed as the third blatant criminals among ten by Forbes magazine (2011). In order to maintain an unblemished profile he started investing in Bollywood from Dubai. Dawood Company, (D- Company) his parallel crime syndicate pooled money using its powers (Treverton, 2009, pp.91, 94). During the emerging period of Indian Diasporas in the early 1970‟s, Ibrahim considered Dubai as a fertile ground for acquiring Bollywood distribution rights. D- Company is also believed to have a fraudulent deal of sharing the pirated movie tapes all over Asia (Treverton, 2009, p.116). Ibrahim‟s years in Dubai garnered him a broad array of Bollywood contacts. Divya Bharati (1974- 1993), (Bollywood actress) who committed suicide during the boom of career her was accused of having connections with Ibrahim (Dudrah and Desi, 2008, pp.69-70). In fact this is still considered as the cause of her death. Accordingly it is also documented that the stars travelled to Dubai during the 1980s to entertain Ibrahim and his allies. Those secret meetings were later telecasted through popular media

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Dubai and Bollywood: A community’s construction 2015 (Treverton, 2009, p.129).Nazim Rizvi is one of the most scandalized celebrities of this array (Dudrah and Desi, 2008, p.67). Statistics states that two fifth of the Bollywood‟s investment during 1980s was black money. Ibrahim was also accused that the he used bogus personalities for facilitating his money laundering. Middle class workers became producers of movies with massive budget. Producers Sudhakar Bakode and Mukesh Duggal fall under the alleged category that later funded for stars like Dilip Kumar.

Sheikh’s video success - Babumiya Shaikh (also known as Chotta Shakeel) who is considered as a close associate Ibrahim Dawood admitted that he had hook ups with Bollywood based in Dubai. His noted rival Chotta Rajan stated that Shaikh funded for the Bollywood movies along with Ibrahim Dawood through his counterfeit Bharat Shah (Baweja, 2005). The leading of this category is “Chori Chori Chupke Chupke” (2001). Rajan also mentions that he witnessed the meeting of Salman Khan and Ibrahim in Dubai. Sheikh has also invested in Hindi movie tape business in Dubai after observing the Indian Diaspora (Treverton, 2009, p.133). Al Mansoor video which is a reputed video library in Dubai is identified as an initiative of Sheikh. Sheikh sent his close aide M. Khatri to Dubai after seeing the popularity of Al Mansoor video in the gulf countries. Khatri played a key role in establishing Al Mansoor as a branded shop in Dubai. Subsequently the store has become an inevitable part of Bollywood movie distribution in Dubai. A similar situation was also identified in the Hollywood where popular RKO, Warner bros and MGM studios were under the dominion of mafia dons. (Guardian, 1999)

Genuine gulf metropolis: accessibility favors A reasonable cause for the establishment of the Bollywood industry in Dubai is its adaptive culture (Gupte, 2011, p.188).The broadmindedness of Dubai is attracting the film it an apt location for flamboyant scenes. The influence of Bollywood is inversely proportional with the adaptability of the country. The secular flexibility when compared to other Middle Eastern countries such as Saudi Arabia also is an added advantage. It is observed that the night clubs flavored with Bollywood music accepted by Arabs and Indians (Barrett, 2010, pp.108, 110-111). Arabs and Africans are seen carousing in such overnight parties. The acceptance of Bollywood could be yoked with the spots such as Meena bazaar, Cricket and Bhangra (Barrett, 2010, p.70). A bunch of Indian directors are agreeing that Dubai is a convenient location for shooting (Gupte, 2011, p.III, XIVI). Consequently it is also fashioning a cozy platform for the cast as well, since it keeps them away from niche gossip headlines. Established producer Firoz Nadidwala is considering Dubai as an ideal place for filming. "Like Mumbai, Dubai has ample scope to become the hub of film activity in West Asia,

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Dubai and Bollywood: A community’s construction 2015 be it for movies, serials or commercials shot here," Salman Khan has also appreciated the wideaccessibility of the city (Renuka, 2011, p.1). An instance of the Bollywood reception is the recent Bollywood movie Happy New year (2013). During the filming of Happy New Year Dubai Film and Television Commission (DFTC) facilitated the needs of the crew (Nair, 2013). The official travel partner, Emirates air carrier provided the transportation of the entire crew. Moreover the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) transited the whole shooting aids. The authorities of the airlines had expressed that the status of Dubai as a film cite has levered in the global market, after the filming of the movie. Many Indian movie stars have houses at the luxurious areas of the country such as palm Jumeira (Ali, 2010, p.123). Sharukh Khan is one of the noted personalities in this array (Gupte, 2011, p. XIVI).The star studded stage shows are well received in the Dubai (Gupte, 2011, P.III, XIVI). Radio presenter turned event producer Richard Coram says that he is one who introduced Salman Khan and Sharukh Khan to Dubai for stage productions. It is noteworthy to mention that they are falling among the 6000 of the company‟s productions with acclaimed international figures (Gupte, 2011, p.251). Hindi movies premieres in Dubai is considered as a niche happening (Thussu, 2013, p.139). Ready (2011), Patiala House (2011), Break Ke Baad (2010), Karthik Calling Karthik (2010) Tees Maar Khan (2010) are some of the movies that have had premieres in the emirate (Renuka, 2011, p.1). All the premieres held in Dubai are shown earlier than in India, since the weekends in country falls during Thursdays. Dubai is also mentioned as the countries of campaigning for A.R Rahman‟s international popularization in 1998 (Punathambekar, 2013, p.184).The campaign which was conducted by Gopal Srinivasan has placed Dubai along with the 26 world countries over 12000 members. Another distinct impact of the Bollywood is the establishment of Jebel Ali Theme park (Khaleej Times, 2014). According to Raed Al Nuami (CEO of Dubai Parks and resorts), the park is targeting on both Emirians and Indian expatriates along with tourists arrive in Dubai. The Park is expecting a launch in 2016 under Dubai parks and resorts. Bollywood sensation Sharukh Khan is anticipating that the venture would bring novice Bollywood experiences. “The UAE is a cultural potpourri. Not only non-resident Indians but Emiratis, Arabs and people from other Asian countries living here are ardent Bollywood fans” He added.

Conclusion As a cessation, it is observed that influence of Bollywood on the nation is mainly due to its lion portion of Indian Diaspora. The impact of this culture has led to its further developments in the region. The exchange rates of the country strengthened the funding possibilities of Bollywood. Accordingly Bollywood considered Dubai as a better overseas market with its soaring impact on the Emirians and the expatriates. Bollywood shows and programs are being received over a long period of time. The case of Bollywood Theme park and the filming of „Happy new year‟ are instances of the country‟s alignment for

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Dubai and Bollywood: A community’s construction 2015 Bollywood. Concerns were identified that the Bollywood love would be diverted to Hollywood in the coming days. Yet it is anticipated that the industry will continue to expand more with the advent of these new projects. Moreover the quest of Dubai as a community, market and location by Bollywood will never come to a cease.

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