Mumbai – Day Two

Sunday and we head off to the south of Mumbai to the offices of the Deputy High Commissioner to get an overview of doing work in India for UK companies, and for a detailed portrait of the facilities sector. We are also joined by the Film London delegation – 8 or so London film producers who are here to collaborate with their Indian counterparts.

When the briefings start it is clear that there are great differences (but many similarities) between the UK and India. The economics of Mumbai is very different to those of London. The state of Maharashtra provides 30-40% of the tax income for India. Many of the 16 million residents here have had a rent freeze since 1947. An estimated 475 billion rupees is needed to improve the infrastructure to a suitable level. There are more than 6 million new mobile phone users every month in India. Many of the population live on less than one dollar (US) a day. The entertainment industry is set grow at a rate of 18.3 % GDP per annum.

The post production sector looks very interesting too. Mr Shah, a consultant and respected figure here in Mumbai, told us that there are over 350 post production “studios”, but it is dominated by some key big players – including Crest Communication, Pixion, Prasad Studios, Prime Focus, Yash Raj, Adlabs and Avitel.

Some of the wage costs seem to us staggeringly low (offline editors at £2 – 4 per hour, online at £5 – but some seem close to those in Soho (animators at £30 – £50 per hour.) All these figures are for kit and talent. Most studios don’t bill by the hour – the deals are done as a package. One of the biggest areas of shock for me, coming from a UK that is extremely health and safety conscience, with working time agreements, was that the fact that there are no working practice laws, that talent frequently works 13, 14, 15 hour days, then only 4 hours off before the next shift and woe betide anyone who complains as there are plenty of other people willing to fill their shoes…
Mr Shah continues to paint the picture of the pros (highly level of technology, low wage costs, high skill levels), and the cons (complicated and variable tax laws, corruption, long delays in all parts of the process), and what opportunities he thinks are open to partnerships between the UK and India. It all is beginning to take shape, though I have no real understanding of where the figures come from. Collecting data on the state and size of any industry is difficult without the added hurdle of no collective voice.

Over the rest of the day, with some light sightseeing to keep our energy up, we all discuss what these areas of opportunities. Today, some seem more appealing than others – training and infrastructure provision, 2 way-working between post houses sharing work (with for example rotoscoping in India, more complex art director work in the UK).

One of the best pieces of advice we heard today was the cultural reluctance here in India to say “no”. “Yes” means yes. “Yes, but it may take time” means maybe. “Yes, but it will be difficult” means no. All of us realise that in our short few days this is something we have already fallen foul of. The cultural differences are as important as the financial and technological ones.

But the highlight of the day comes when we bump into a wedding party. A whirling band of drums and various horns surrounds the wedding guests – truly surround sound – who spin and thrash with unashamed glee. The pace gets faster and faster, and when the bride and groom arrive in their splendour it rises to a crescendo, before being arrested with the loudest (and most violent – I get hit in the head!) fire crackers I have ever seen. A magical scene to have stumbled upon.