http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93687320
TEVE INSKEEP, host:
One of India’s largest conglomerates has been making headlines in the United States because of its reported plans to set up a new movie venture with Steven Spielberg. The company is called Reliance. It’s based in Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay. Its $500 million investment in a new movie-making venture with Spielberg has not been confirmed, but as NPR’s Asma Khalid reports, the Indian company is already slipping into U.S. cinemas.
Unidentified Man #1: Two tickets for (foreign language spoken), 7:15 show, please.
Unidentified Man #2: Two for (foreign language spoken), two for…
Unidentified Woman #1: Hi, can I get two for “Love Story 2050?”
ASMA KHALID: We’re at the movies in Edison, New Jersey. The smell of buttery popcorn fills the air, but the concession stand at Movie City 8 also sells lassis, an Indian yogurt drink, and samosas, a fried dumpling snack. And while half the movies at this multiplex come from Hollywood, the other half come from Bollywood. That’s India’s multibillion dollar film industry. Tonight, one of the big hits is “Love Story 2050.” Like most Bollywood movies, boy meets girl, they fall in love, sing, dance.
(Soundbite of music)
Unidentified Man #3: (Singing in foreign language)
KHALID: This movie’s distributed by the Indian media company Reliance. Reliance also operates this multiplex. Over the last year, Reliance has acquired more than 200 screens across the U.S., mostly in cities with large south Asian populations. And it bought a majority stake in a U.S. cinema company called Phoenix to manage the operations.
Mr. PHIL ZACHERETTI (CEO, Phoenix): Business has been great.