LIST: Indian Films HIT in Globe but FLOP in India

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Tere Bin Laden

This comic satire that was a spoof on America’s fight against terrorism faced a ban in the Middle East countries (the protagonist was played by Pakistani singer Ali Zafar) and did less than average business in India. The film that had a cast of new faces travelled to the Friars Club Comedy Film Festival in New York that has boasted of members like Marx Brothers, Frank Sinatra, Lucille Ball and Billy Crystal. Vajir points out, “Often low budget films have a completely new star cast. Taking their films to international festivals helps the film-makers in creating a buzz before the release.”

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Firaaq

Nandita Das’s debut direction 'Firaaq' was yet another film that failed to bring the Indian audience into the movie theatres. The film throws light on the trials and tribulations faced by a group of people a month after the 2002 violence in Gujarat. The film that saw some impressive performance by Naseeruddin Shah, Tisca Chopra, Raghuvir Yadav and Paresh Rawal disappointed Indian movie-goers. However, the film won acclaim at the Asian Festival of First Films in Singapore, won awards in Greece and was applauded at the Dubai International Film Festival. One still wonders if the comparative failure of these movies can be credited to lack of publicity or lack of awareness among the audience towards such kinds of niche films.