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Dot-Coms and the Making of an Overseas Territory >> 135

money was underreported, there was no transparency at all. And I’m not
even sure what the mode of acquisition was . . . basically, there were people
here who thought this was a glamorous business, let me give it a shot. But
over the last five to six years, these people were gradually phased out as
public limited companies came in and prices for acquisition went through
the roof. These mom-and-pop types just could not compete.

According to Dhar, Yash Raj Films’ move to formalize distribution influ-
enced other companies, including UTV that had, even as recently as 2004–
05, relied on Eros Entertainment for overseas distribution and marketing.
Beginning in 2004, Dhar has overseen UTV’s overseas operations and played
a key role in refiguring Bollywood’s relations with North American exhibi-
tion chains. “It’s much easier to approach companies like AMC once you
have a base here,” he continued, going on to explain the transition further:

In the 1990s, a big film would get released in ten to fifteen halls and then
the prints would move from one place to another. It would get released
in a handful of ethnic theaters, owned and operated by Desis who were
focusing on non-English films in high-density areas like New York, New
Jersey, LA, and so on. Now, with a film like Jodha Akbar, for example, we
are releasing 130 prints across North America. Seven to eight years ago, a
Bollywood film would not have opened in a place like Tulsa, Oklahoma
but we ensured that a film would open in every market that matters and
we now have established relations with all the mainstream theater chains.

Further, influential filmmakers who have stayed out of the distribution busi-
ness, such as Karan Johar, have tended to enter into agreements with compa-
nies like Yash Raj Films to handle distribution. As I explained in the second
chapter, one of the most significant developments in Bollywood has been
the growing integration of distribution. This ongoing shift in the practice
of film distribution allowed Bombay-based companies to target the lucra-
tive overseas market in a more organized fashion and led to a demand for
web promotions. More crucially, it created a need for knowledge about NRI
audiences that marketing executives and public relations agents working in
Bombay were in no position to provide.
“At the end of the day, every producer, director, and star in Bombay wants
to get a sense of the buzz,” explained Parul Gossain, a prominent public rela-
tions professional in Bollywood. We were in the lobby area of the five-star
Marriott Hotel in Juhu, waiting for a film publicity event involving Mallika
Sherawat (one of Gossain’s clients) and Jackie Chan to begin. “In Bombay,