Some call it the world's largest film industry. Indian filmmaking has come of age. The latest blockbuster Krrish has laid the foundation for a new era in Bollywood.

Just as Hollywood has been presenting movies that are sold as branded, marketed and well rounded products so has our own film industry finally learnt how to sell a movie. Shot in Singapore this film has brought with it a new way of marketing a film to India. Almost everything related to the film has been turned into a product and sold. From the Krrish Action Figures and masks to the Krrish Location tours in Singapore everything connected with the film has been marketed. A PC game based on the movie cannot be far away too. This is not just a greedy money making exercise. It helps in creating the aura around the film as being larger than life, almost a legend before its even released.

Having said that of course no movie no matter how well marketed is going to be a hit unless it is written and made well. In the end the proof is in the pudding. If the people like it then all the other peripheral products will do well and add to the success of the venture. It has taken Indian cinema a while to get here. People here tend to get a bit too emotional about their movies and sometimes have lost sight of the fact that commercial cinema is exactly that - commercial.

Slowly but steadily the film industry here has seen significant changes in the way it operates. There is still a long way to go but the fact that big national and international corporations are investing in projects within the industry is a welcome change. It has helped in bringing about some order to the otherwise chaotic and mostly obsolete way of functioning of the Old Bollywood. Professionalism has begun to creep in for the better. Who would have thought a few years ago that Insurance companies would be lining up to help insure future productions and that productions houses would be listed on the stock exchange. But yes the time has come. Krrish has shown us the obvious benefits of producing a movie keeping the big picture in mind.

In fact the complete production sequence is soon going to be taught as part of curriculum in Indias business schools. To show budding business leaders how a competent marketing strategy can succeed especially in todays multi-platform world.

Now its time to get into a theater and see what all the fuss is about.