The dreamy-eyed dogs in "Roadside Romeo" are classic Disney animation, but the song-and-dance numbers in Walt Disney's first co-production in India are pure Bollywood.
The film, co-produced with Yash Raj Films, one of India's top movie studios, represents Disney's largest step yet in its bid to enter the Indian market.
First-time director Jugal Hansraj was told to make a movie rooted in Indian nuances.
"They wanted a film that could be a Bollywood film if it were not an animation film," he said. "People should feel, 'This is our film; it's made for us.'"
In "Road side Romeo," which opens Friday in India, a twist of fate throws a spoiled brat onto Mumbai's rough streets where he meets a honey-eyed nightclub singer. Their romance is dogged by a snarling villain and fight sequences but blossoms nonetheless, and the films ends — as if there could be any other way in Bollywood — with the two scampering off happily into the sunset.
It was the focus on local content and characters that brought Walt Disney Co. onboard.
India — with 350 million children under the age of 14 — is a high-growth market for Disney, said Mahesh Samat, Disney's India managing director.
"A key part of our plan in India is building Disney as a family entertainment brand and building content with Indian characters," said Samat.
Kareena Kapoor, one of India's top actresses, provides the voice of Laila, the singer with dreamy-eyes, long eyelashes and — like all Bollywood heroines — ever-changing hairstyles. Saif Ali Khan, a leading actor, does the voice of smooth-talking Romeo, who sports a red bandanna to hold back his floppy ears.
Mumbai's streets are the film's backdrop, with Bollywood movie posters plastered on walls along the city's railway lines, tall buildings towering over shanties and handcarts selling fruit juice outside corner stores.
Bollywood has forged several collaborations over the past two years with Indian movie houses, signing co-production deals with Viacom, Walt Disney Co., Sony Corp. and Twentieth Century Fox.
While foreign studios regularly outsource their special effects to Indian firms, which offer expertise and lower costs, Bollywood hopes this film will open new doors.
For "Romeo," top Indian animation company Tata Elxsi's artists visualized, designed and animated the entire film.
In the past, the company has created visual effects for such Hollywood hits as "Spider-Man 3" and "Iron Man," but now they want to prove they can produce animated movies from start to finish.
"There already have been some interested queries from overseas producers," said Pankaj Khandpur, Tata Elxsi's creative director. "We hope 'Roadside Romeo' will bridge the credibility barrier."
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On the Net: http://www.roadsideromeo.com/