These women bring Bollywood to Basel

Indian-born entrepreneurs have made a vacant cinema in Basel the first Bollywood film palace in Switzerland. Some of the films even run earlier than in India.

Bollywood on the Rhine knee: Innovative women have awakened a vacant cinema in the inner city for years from the slumber. Like the bz Basel reported that opened Studio Central last weekend its doors again to the public.

Yashonda Thotakura, Sunanda Boppana and Supriya Karanam also operate a film distribution company specializing in Bollywood productions, which brings Indian productions to cinemas across Switzerland. "We then came across the opportunity to rent the Studio Central," says Yashonda Thotakura.

However, as far as the culinary offer or the furnishings are concerned, the Studio Central differs from a conventional cinema: not least because the cinema is a listed building. Again, there are popcorn and coke at the bar.

Indian cinema for all

 The films and the cinema should be made available to the general public thanks to English and, if possible, German subtitles. Another peculiarity lies in the timeliness of the films: "We are trying to show the Bollywood films synchronized to their appearance in India in Basel," says Thotakura.

The entrepreneurs have direct access to the films through their distribution. So it may be that they - thanks to time difference - the latest blockbuster from Bombay in Basel before the premiere in India can show - at least a few hours before.

Largest film industry in the world

 With around 1,000 productions a year, Bollywood is the largest film industry in the world. In India, cinema has a high priority in everyday life of the population. Actors like Sha Rukh Khan or Anushka Sharma are now world stars. Bollywood is an essential aspect of Indian cultural heritage. A running time of several hours is not uncommon in the productions.

Bollywood also has a very special connection to Switzerland - especially to its mountain backdrops. Since the 1960s, the Alps have been very popular with Indian directors, although the number of films shot in Switzerland has been declining due to new emphases in productions.

For the time being, a weekends cinema

 For the time being, the cinema is only on weekends in operation. "The goal, however, is to be able to offer the audience a screening every evening," says Thotakura. How big the demand for Indian cinema in the region is, but still has to show. In both Basel lived according to the respective statistical offices 2350 Indian nationals (as of 2017).