Now that an impasse between Bollywood film producers and India's multiplex owners is over, film distributers seem to be on a roll with their newfound enthusiasm. London-based Indian entertainment company Eros International recently announced it was releasing its latest star-studded offering, Kambakkht Ishq, to an unprecedented 2,000-plus screens worldwide next week. According to the company, the release is one of the widest in recent times.
Spread across 1,400 screens in India and 600 overseas in both print and digital formats, Kambakkht Ishq, which roughly means "Damned Love", is one of the most highly anticipated films of 2009, starring top Bollywood stars Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor with cameo appearances by a bevy of Hollywooders including Sylvester "Rambo" Stallone, former Bond girl Denise Richards and Superman's Brandon Routh.
And UAE audiences, thanks to an early weekend, will be among the first in the world to catch the release.
Produced by Sajid Nadiadwala and directed by Sabbir Khan, the $35 million (Dh129m) film tells of a relationship between a Hollywood stuntman and a firebrand model with two very distinct personalities.
Sunil Lulla, President of Eros International, says his company expects to reach out to a "record number" of audiences worldwide. "Kambakkht Ishq is one of the most awaited films of the year. Audience and trade reactions to the promos have been extremely promising," he says.
Shot extensively in Los Angeles, the Hollywood connection could give the film an edge in the current post stalemate rush where a two-month standoff between producers and multiplex owners in India brought the industry to an almost complete halt.
While filming, producers also announced they were in talks with actor-politician Arnold Schwarzenegger, singer-actress Beyoncé Knowles and Baywatch babe Carmen Electra to do cameos. The deals apparently fell through.
A remake of a 2002 South Indian film, Kambakkht Ishq, was initially scheduled for a December 2008 release, but faced delays due to the deadlock. Then earlier in the month, distributers announced they would advance the July 10 release by a week. For audiences in the Emirates, that will be July 2.
"We decided to bring ahead the release of Kambakkht Ishq by a week to accommodate other releases in subsequent weeks. Since there is already a nice buzz about the film, all the publicity was ready to fire and all our distributors were on board as well, it was the obvious choice," said Jyoti Deshpande, COO and Commercial Director for Eros International.
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