Could Bollywood do a good one? Did they already do one, i just don't know about it. Fyodor Bondarchuk did a fairly big budget and reasonably good science fiction action epic: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Inhabited_Island What would you like to see adapted if they ever go down that road? Singing or no singing? How many songs?
1. It wouldn't be Bollywood if there were no songs. 2. They have started doing some sci-fi, but mostly Earth bound...either aliens, robots, or superheroes... to varying degrees of success. In my experience sci-fi doesn't seem to be as a popular box office draw as it is in the US. So, I doubt they would do a space opera anytime soon.
^ And Russia's been doing science fiction films since what, the 1920s? (thinking Aelita Queen of Mars here) - hell the Bondarchuk's sister was one of the stars of Tarkovsky's Solaris, so the existence of his film doesn't come as much of a surprise. And a Bollywood space opera would be... something, anyway. I have no opinions on the hypothetical existence or non-existance of song and dance numbers, as that'd depend on them themselves.
They might be able to make the songs. i watched Khakee which was about flase flag terrorism and had 3 songs in them despite the heav subject. 2 of them fit in perfectly and the third one was a bit annoying. ROTJ had the Max Rebo Band. I know Russia made science fiction, but Inhabited Island had more of an SW feel.
And Russian SF being influenced by American SF isn't new either (and at this point Star Wars is inescapably ubiquitous).
Singing and dancing stranngely comes up from time to time in sci-fi as it is, so I don't see any reason why Bollywood sci-fi couldn't work. I mean, it can't be worse than the action/adventure singing and dancing, superhero singing and dancing, or horror singing and dancing they already do. (Admittedly, the latter is just their version of Thriller, but still.)
Maybe a lighthearted one with some adventure. I'm not sure how it'd go over, sci-fi fans can be fickle with the line separating cheesy lame and cheesy cool.
Bollywood should remake Farscape, the romantic trials of Dominar Rigel, there's gotta be a dance routine there somewhere.
GOOD? I don't know if I would go that far... cheesy, melodramatic, yes. Koi... Mil Gaya, a sort of first encounter story and then its sequel Krrish. It's a super hero sci fi movie--better visually than the first. But I don't remember much of it. Hrithik Roshan is the star of both. He is a really good dancer and actor... better dance than actor. That's all that I can think of that have aliens. Like I said, sci fi is not popular in the way that it is in the west. It's just not a genre that has sparked excitement. Maybe the audience that wants it is small and western films are enough. Don't know. But, there is very very very little native sci fi.
Koi Mil Gayan is absolutely fucking awful- in terms of saccharine it makes ET look like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Krrish is a *lot* better, in every respect
Are you saying that its not as popular in INDIA? Because space based scifi seems pretty popular in East Asian countries like Japan and Korea. Its also relatively popular in China. I think part of the interest is that the population has to be capable of envisioning itself "out there." To date, scifi has been most popular in countries that already have a presence in space or the ability/resources to do so.