Sangam: The Story of Hinduja Brothers Contribution in Indian Cinema’s Global Breakthrough

The 1964 Bollywood epic romantic music drama Sangam was directed, produced and edited by the legendary Indian actor, director and producer Raj Kapoor. It was authored and sold by Inder Raj Anand and RK Studios, Mehboob Studios and Filmistan respectively. It was a mega success in the early 60s and was regarded as a landmark in the Indian Cinemas.

It has played a great role in popularising the Indian Cinema significantly on the global platforms as it was the first Indian movie that was exclusively shot abroad on different locations including London, Paris and Switzerland. Along with that it was also one of the most expensive movies of its time that was shot with the longest running time of the Indian cinemas.

The movie was released on 18th of June 1964 emerged as the impactful commercial success grossing around ₹8 crore worldwide. It came under the ranking list of highest grossing Bollywood movie of the year and the second highest grossing movie of the decade.

Hinduja Brothers reining from one of the UK’s richest Indian Business Families were considered instrumental in distributing and promoting Sangam on the global platform, particularly in Middle East. The film achieved significant success in several countries particularly Iran, Turkey, and Thailand. Hindujas were the ones who had a great impact of the international success of the movie as they managed everything from dubbing to subtitles to the first Farsi dub and creating publicity materials.

Background Story of the Classic Romance

The classic romantic drama Sangam was directed by the legendary actor, filmmaker and producer Raj Kapoor. It is considered notable for being first ever color films of Kapoor along with its extensive European location shooting, a pioneering move that helped popularise international backdrops in Indian cinema. The cast of the movie includes Raj Kapoor, Rajendra Kumar and Vyjayanthimala in the lead roles. The storyline lies around the three leads stuck in a love triangle enriching the essence of the movie with love, drama and romance.

The director, producer and actor Raj Kapoor always endured a great vision of taking Indian cinemas to the international platforms and his movies like ‘Awaara’ and ‘Shee 420’ were also instrumental in achieving this. The success of his movies in the Middle East, Soviet Union and other regions were quite impactful in establishing Indian cinemas as a global force and paved the way for the future of Bollywood on the global outreach.

Role of the Hinduja Brothers

The Hinduja Brothers have played a significant role in promoting the Raj Kapoor's Sangam and Indian movies on the international platform. These promotions were particularly done in the Middle East and Europe which also has leveraged their business acumen along with strengthening the international network. Hinduja Brothers have also managed to establish Sangam Ltd. in London showing their deed and strong commitment towards introducing the Indian storytelling to the diverse global audience. This strategic move proved significant in facilitating the distribution of film and exhibition in various international markets, achieving remarkable success.

International Recognition and Impact

Sangam has gained remarkable international recognition and global success particularly in the Middle East and Several parts of Asia, paving way for future of Indian Cinema in the international market. To achieve this reputation the Hinduja Brothers have also contributed firmly to bridging the gap between Bollywood and the international market. Through their work, they have created cultural differences and influenced the vision of Bollywood around the world. The film has become a trailblazing film in the aspect of global space. It has established a story that Indian Cinemas can appeal to the non-Indian audience. The success of the movie proved that the Indian films could be strategically distributed and marked to achieve international success. This has initially layed the groundwork for the globalisation of Bollywood.

Conclusion

The novelty of 1964 Sangam was not only a film success but formed part of the history of Indian cinemas that rebuilt its image in the international cinema arena. In as much as the vision of the film had come to life through the genius of Raj Kapoor, the move made by Hinduja Brothers in distribution and advertising of the film in the global arena guaranteed the success of the film all over the world. The coming together of these two great minds and personalities set the pace of globalisation of Bollywood that proved that Indian cinemas has loads to offer in the capability of impressing audience spread across the world.