VOA标准英语2008年-India's Bollywood Reaping Benefits of New Inves

In India, some of the country's biggest companies are making huge investments in the Hindi film industry, popularly known as Bollywood. Anjana Pasricha has a report from New Delhi, on India's booming film industry.
　
Scene from Bollywood movie 'Mahadev Ka Sajjanpur'

The latest venture of automobile¹ manufacturer Mahindra and Mahindra conglomerate², is unrelated to its main business. The company is getting ready to launch a string of Hindi films, such as "Mumbai Chaka Chak," and "Acid Factory" early next year.

It is not the first Indian company to make a foray into the glamorous³ world of Bollywood, which churns out more than 1,000 films a year.

In recent years, some of the country's biggest businesses have begun tapping into the huge potential of the Hindi film industry.

It is a big change from a decade ago, when cash-strapped Bollywood producers raised money from private investors⁴, and often had to rely on unaccounted for cash to fund their projects.

Amita Sarkar, heads the entertainment division at the Federation⁵ of Indian Chambers⁶ of Commerce and Industry. She says companies began looking at Bollywood as a business investment after it was designated as an industry in 2002, eligible⁷ for formal funding.

"For a creative person earlier, the biggest obstacle was money, which is not there at all now," she explained. "There are so many corporates, there are so many banks, financial institutions, they are waiting for projects, waiting for people to make good films. There is a lot of market for films, internationally as well, so the risk element has gone down substantially ... the money is no longer a very big problem."

Bollywood films are popular not just in India, but also in a host of Asian countries such as Pakistan, Indonesia and the Middle East. They also bring in big money in countries like the United States and Britain, where many Indians have migrated.

This big movie-going audience is not just attracting Indian companies. Several Hollywood studios such as Sony Pictures Entertainment and Warner Brothers are also collaborating⁸ with Indian film producers to make Hindi films.

Sarkar says more and more companies will flock to Bollywood in the future.

"There is big money, big returns and there is an element of glamour⁹ alongside ... so a lot of people are getting into films," she said.

For Bollywood film producers, the benefits have been huge. They once made films on shoestring¹⁰ budgets - less than $4 million compared to over $70 million for a Hollywood film.

But movie budgets have skyrocketed as large sums of money roll into the film industry, allowing producers to experiment with new technology and techniques. More money is being spent on slick marketing¹¹ campaigns.

The mushrooming of multiplex cinemas across the country has increased ticket sales as a booming middle class regularly heads out to watch the latest films.

According to industry estimates, all this will help the Hindi movie industry grow from its present size of about $2 billion to nearly $4 billion by 2011.

 

1 automobile   

n.汽车，机动车

参考例句：

• He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
• The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。

2 conglomerate   

n.综合商社，多元化集团公司

参考例句：

• The firm has been taken over by an American conglomerate.该公司已被美国一企业集团接管。
• An American conglomerate holds a major share in the company.一家美国的大联合企业持有该公司的大部分股份。

3 glamorous   

adj.富有魅力的；美丽动人的；令人向往的

参考例句：

• The south coast is less glamorous but full of clean and attractive hotels.南海岸魅力稍逊，但却有很多干净漂亮的宾馆。
• It is hard work and not a glamorous job as portrayed by the media.这是份苦差，并非像媒体描绘的那般令人向往。

4 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

5 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

6 chambers   

n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅

参考例句：

• The body will be removed into one of the cold storage chambers. 尸体将被移到一个冷冻间里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Mr Chambers's readable book concentrates on the middle passage: the time Ransome spent in Russia. Chambers先生的这本值得一看的书重点在中间：Ransome在俄国的那几年。 来自互联网

7 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

8 collaborating   

合作( collaborate的现在分词 )； 勾结叛国

参考例句：

• Joe is collaborating on the work with a friend. 乔正与一位朋友合作做那件工作。
• He was not only learning from but also collaborating with Joseph Thomson. 他不仅是在跟约瑟福？汤姆逊学习，而且也是在和他合作。

9 glamour   

n.魔力，魅力；vt.迷住

参考例句：

• Foreign travel has lost its glamour for her.到国外旅行对她已失去吸引力了。
• The moonlight cast a glamour over the scene.月光给景色增添了魅力。

10 shoestring   

n.小额资本；adj.小本经营的

参考例句：

• In the early years,the business was run on a shoestring.早年，这家店铺曾是小本经营。
• How can I take the best possible digital pictures on a shoestring budget?怎样用很小投资拍摄最好的数码照片？

11 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。