1 Bringing Bollywood to Leicester: Reflections on localized strategies of engagement between regional cultural economies and transnational cultural industries. Jaideep Mukherjee Centre for Mass Communication Research University of Leicester Cultural Diversity and Creative Industries Seminar De Montfort University / 13 Dec 2004

2 Genesis of the project: Leicester, European Capital for South Asian Media project set up in 2002; Joint initiative of MATV and Leicester City Council’s Cultural Strategy Unit; Funded by EMDA & managed by EM Screen Commission, later EM Media; Key areas of research in the project: 1. To promote East Midlands as a hub for visiting productions, 2. To investigate reasons filmmakers use foreign locations, and 3. To consider potential benefits for organisations in the city and the region Report and recommendations launched in July 2003 – presently at the stage of implementation and further fundraising.

3 Aims of this paper / presentation: Reflect on the findings of the Leicester Project Examining three key aspects: 1. The region’s diaspora itself and its media consumption, 2. the commercial and cultural phenomenon that is Bollywood 3. Potential impact of their engagement Connect the streams of thinking on ‘diasporic media and cultures’ & ‘transnational cultural industries’ Extend the scope of these debates

4 Leicester and the East Midlands? Brief history of Leicester Key phases of migration into Leicester What is the East Midlands region Leicester’s diasporas Leicester’s ‘successes’ – multiculturalism, diversity. Diasporic media in Leicester – consumption, production & distribution

5 Asian diasporic media in the UK Key consumption indicators Origins of media production - Recycled content - Original content Television Radio Press New media

6 Conceptualizing ‘Bollywood’ A problematic nomenclature Popular understandings Aspects of engagement with the Asian diaspora: - the diaspora as consumers - the diaspora as a source of popular narratives - diaspora using Bollywood to negotiate identities - diasporas as producers of these texts

7 Commerce, Content and Context in Bollywood Cinema Outline of size & impact Business practices Production and distribution networks Impact on content Recognition as an ‘industry’ Changing scenarios in finance New technologies, new markets and new strategies Is this the panacea?

8 Bollywood’s view of the foreign: ‘By Leicester, do you mean Leicester Square?’ Research background & methods. Key findings: Proliferation of ‘fantasy’ narratives Demands of ‘realistic’ narratives Going ‘foreign’ as a practical necessity Facilitation Equipment Production finance Visa, immigration & Customs

9 Reflections on the Leicester FILMPUR Project: Linking with regional economies and regional cultural economies: - problems & prospects Linking with transnational cultural industries: - problems & prospects Recent developments & on-going initiatives The road ahead…

10 Conclusions: Directions for further research: -Is the ‘global’ and the ‘local’ still an useful paradigm? -Are cultural economies better understood in terms of ‘flows’? -Changing perspectives in the study of cultural economies, -Understanding new transnational cultures and cultural industries.