Importance of cinema in the Indian economy:

When Indian cinema is mentioned, the term Bollywood comes to mind

immediately. Bollywood is the nickname given to the Indian musical film
industry. It represents an essential component of the Indian economy. The
name Bollywood is an acronym between Hollywood and Bombay.
However, in truth, the Indian film industry is not limited to Bollywood. In fact,
Bollywood films represent 40% of Indian cinema: it is, therefore, a significant
part, but it does not represent the entirety.
The latter remains the most popular of Indian cinemas, not only nationally but
also internationally, and it is, therefore, common to refer to the Indian film
industry under the term Bollywood.
This industry occupies a significant place in the Indian economy. Indeed,
Bollywood is nothing less than the largest film industry in the world in terms of
films produced with over 1600 films produced each year.

Several factors explain Bollywood's success and internationalization:

Firstly, more and more cinemas are emerging in the country, leading to an
increase in spectators.

Secondly, there is easier access to audiovisual products. Indeed, the

democratization of cable, satellite, and the explosion of video and on-demand
film services also contribute to the growth of the Indian film industry. Indian
households connected to the Internet are constantly increasing and, therefore,
represent new consumers for Indian cinema.

Unique characteristic of this cinema and its connection with the film

However, one of the most explanatory factors of its success remains the way
in which Indian films distinguish themselves, and thus the unique
characteristics that define them. Bollywood cinema has several peculiarities.

First and foremost, it is a very long film, lasting 3 to 4 hours.

Secondly, Bollywood cinema is a cinema that blends singing and dancing.

Songs appear at various key moments throughout the film. They express joy
during a celebration, emotion during a romantic encounter, or sorrow during
difficult moments.

Thirdly, the blending of genres is a distinctive element of Bollywood cinema. It

combines love stories, fantasy films, musical comedies,police thrillers, and
adventure films all at once.

Finally, signs of sexuality and any form of contact are prohibited by law in
Bollywood cinemas as well as in other Indian cinemas.

Many of these characteristics can be found in the film "The Lunchbox," which
we have focused on.This film falls under the theme of romance and features a
lot of music that follows the story's narrative and appears at every emotional
moment.
The film is also typical of Indian films because it takes place in India and only
features Indian actors. This is indeed another typical element of Indian films,
as even though they are increasingly successful abroad, they remain largely
focused on India and its culture and only open up to multiculturalism to a
limited extent.

Indian cinema: a soft power for India?

With the rise of this unique cinema, many people claim that Indian cinema is
becoming a determining factor for India, even an essential "soft power" of the
country. The notion of soft power is essential for a country, because it allows it
to shine internationally thanks to its culture and ideologies.

This importance given to soft power will be highlighted in 2009, when Shashi
Tharoor, former Minister of Foreign Affairs states that "India is becoming a
superpower thanks to its soft power, its ability to share its culture around the
world through its music, technology, and Bollywood."

But in reality, when we take a closer look at the place of Indian cinema in the
global film landscape, we are led to relativize the hypothesis that cinema is an
essential element of India's soft power.

In fact, the rise of Indian cinema is not really happening internationally, and
especially not in countries with a culture other than Indian culture.
The vast majority of viewers of these Indian films are Indian themselves, or
live in nearby countries with similar cultures or a large Indian population. This
will indeed contribute to the country's economy, as Indian films will represent
more than 90% of the films shown in cinemas in the country, but this will not
spread much internationally.
Therefore, we cannot really speak of Indian soft power through its cinema.