China mkt reopens for Indian films, but uncertainties remain

Bollywood success in China began more than a decade ago with Aamir Khan's 3 Idiots, which made ₹16 cr there

- Lata Jha

The China market is reopening for Indian films after about five years with Vijay Sethupathi's Maharaja set for release this weekend.

While the Chinese market generated massive returns for Indian films with hits like PK, Dangal and Hindi Medium, especially from 2015 to 2019, the trend petered out as political tensions between the two countries escalated. Experts emphasised that while the reopening is good, the Chinese market is fraught with uncertainties such as a quota on foreign movies and the possibility of an overdose of repetitive Indian films.

"China works with a limited release calendar for foreign films, of which Hollywood takes a large chunk," film producer, trade and exhibition expert Girish Johar said. "So, the effort to get past the selection committee itself and tie up with a local distributor in order to prove that your films are relevant to Chinese audiences is great."