[size=16pt]Bollywood and Nollywood collab, [/size]

As an actress who dabbles in Bollywood films, I thought it only sagacious that amongst the travel and food news, and fashion tidings, I sporadically begin imparting insights into the Bollywood industry, my encounters and newsworthy films and developments.

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The first thing that crossed my path this week is in fact a Bollywood Nollywood collaboration! Ok fine, so this week I have crossed over to Nigeria’s film industry, popularly called Nollywood, but such an interesting combination of such large and rapidly growing industries deemed significant information. What excites me about film industries, in particular Bollywood, is the constant progression and changing. And indeed, this year, at the ION International Film Festival, Bollywood is connecting with Nollywood, when it will be held at Port Harcourt in Nigeria.

While ION does have any ambitious incentive, is has an honourable one too. As a touring film festival, ION is held in a different international location each year in an effort to promote global awareness and unity, culture and international films, and to acknowledge the sel?ess efforts of humanitarian aid workers. In fact, one whole day has been set aside in the festival to honour and award these people.

But why Nollywood and Bollywood? For over fifty years, African audiences have been watching Indian movies, embracing the songs, fashion and stories of this film culture. In places such as northern Nigeria, generations of Hausa youth have grown up besotted with Bollywood film culture. Over time, Indian movies have altered the style of Hausa fashions, their songs have been copied by Hausa singers and their stories have influenced the writings of Nigerian novelists. Favourite stars are given Hausa nicknames, like Sarkin Karfi (King of Strength) for Dharmendra, Dan Daba Mai Lasin (Hooligan With a License) for Sanjay Dutt, or Mace (Woman) for Rishi Kapoor.


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Stickers of Indian films and stars decorate the taxis and buses of northern Nigeria, while posters of Indian films adorn the walls of tailor shops and mechanics' garages. In Nigeria, Indian movies have become popular without the presence of an Indian audience where the following for Indian films has always been African. These fans are watching movies about a culture that is not their own, based on a religion wholly different from theirs and, for the most part, in a language they cannot understand. (Brian Larkin, Bollywood Comes to Nigeria). Nollywood is the world’s second largest producer of movies. Unlike Hollywood and Bollywood, Nollywood movies are made on shoe-string budgets of time and money. An average production takes just 10 days and costs approximately $15,000. Yet in just 13 years, Nollywood has grown from nothing into a $250 million dollar-a-year industry that employs thousands of people. The Nollywood phenomenon was made possible by two main ingredients: Nigerians’ creativity and entrepreneurship. In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, Nigeria and other African cities faced growing epidemics of crime and insecurity.


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Movie theatres closed as people became reluctant to be out on the streets after dark. Videos for home viewing imported from the West and India were only mildly popular. Nigerians saw an opportunity to fill the void with products of their own.

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