Searchlight Feels the Wrath of ‘Khan’

In Cannes last May, they made a big deal about the likes of Sylvester Stallone, Brandon Routh and Denise Richards venturing into the Bollywood system. Now the tables are turned, and Bollywood are looking to import some of their films into the U.S. market. We can call it the Slumdog Millionaire factor – North American audiences’ love affair for the film did a lot of good for the box office, the trophy chest (a slew of Oscars) and thenay sayers who said it could not be done. It would be wrong to think that lightening will hit twice since Slumdog has more in common with Monsoon Wedding than your typical Bollywood film, but nonetheless, the aversion in bringing Bollywood into the North American sphere is silly when you consider that there are strong untapped numbers that might be worth exploring with the Hindi-speaking community and if you have the right pic, perhaps you can bank on accidental tourists willing to try out a new dish.

Fox Searchlight announced that they will distribute director Karan Johar’s My Name is Khan, a drama romance featuring (the main player from Devdas) Shahrukh Khan. This examines how the life of a Muslim man from India (Shah Rukh Khan) living in San Francisco embarks on a remarkable journey across the United States, inspiring people and inviting debate, creating an accidental revolution. 

Do you think the experts at Searchlight can make this into a modest hit among U.S. audiences?