Bollywood movies on demand in the US

Washington, Nov 11 (IANS) Indian cinema is mainstreaming in the United States. Bollywood fans can now watch latest Indian hits like "Rang de Basanti" and "Krrish" on cable television here.

With a record number of Indian films reaching blockbuster status in America in 2006, BODVOD and Time Warner Cable of New York and New Jersey are offering the newest hits to customers through video on demand (VOD), a company release said.

After two years of steady growth, with monthly transactions jumping 150 percent from 2005, BODVOD has signed content deals with two of Bollywood's largest studios - UTV and Adlabs - and will be the exclusive video-on-demand supplier of their blockbuster hits across the US. All films will be subtitled in English.

Bollywood fans will also be able to watch India's official submission to the Academy Awards on-demand in their own homes even before Oscar members get a chance to vote on it.

This year's entry, UTV's critically acclaimed smash "Rang de Basanti", premieres on Time Warner Cable of New York and New Jersey later this month.

"We are extremely delighted that 'Rang de Basanti' will be available on VOD in the US," says the film's director Rakeysh Mehra.

"This means that people who might have missed it in theatres will have the chance to see the film at their convenience in the comfort of their own home. It significantly helps us with our Oscar campaign by reaching beyond the South Asian community."

India's highest-grossing film of 2006, the Adlabs sci-fi action thriller "Krrish", will also make its on-demand premiere on Dec 8. Shot in Singapore, the groundbreaking special effects in the Hrithik Roshan hit have made it Bollywood's first super hero blockbuster.

Other hit titles to be released this year include "Bluffmaster", "Swades", "15 Park Ave" and "Taxi No. 9211". More hits keep coming in early 2007 with the much-anticipated premieres of Shah Rukh Khan's action blockbuster "Don", the New York-set comedy "Jaan-e-Mann", and the epic Moghul-era romance "Umrao Jaan" starring Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan.

"As of Nov 1, we expanded our selection of Bollywood and South Asian movies as the audience has dramatically grown," stated Harriet Novet, vice president, public affairs, Time Warner Cable of New York & New Jersey.

"We continue to lead the industry in product and service innovation. Creating a separate On Demand platform to showcase films from around the world is another means of connecting people more closely with their culture right from the comfort of home in the New York City metropolitan area."

BODVOD was created in 2004 to acquire, package, market and distribute Bollywood and other South Asian films, TV shows and music on all on-demand media platforms.

BODVOD was the first VOD service offering Bollywood and South Asian content via a national footprint on cable, broadband and mobile through over 30 major distribution partners such as Time Warner, Cox, Google Video, Akimbo, Guba and others.

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Krrish