This is a personal reflection on my past experiences with blogging about Bollywood. At one point, our posts were well-indexed by Google, but we didn't capitalize on that potential. I now regret not investing in a dedicated domain and focusing on building a prominent Bollywood blog.
It would have been relatively easy. We had a team of five, capable of generating a substantial amount of Bollywood-related content. Furthermore, we operated other blogs on various topics, allowing for beneficial interlinking.
I began writing about Bollywood in 2006. With the team we had, we could have achieved significant success. The fact that we didn't is something I deeply regret. Now, I no longer have that team.
I don't intend to rebuild one, but I'm writing here as a form of practice. Today, I'm aiming to write several blog articles as part of this exercise. I started this blog in late 2006, driven by the desire to establish a blog network. We had multiple blogs covering diverse subjects.
We had blogs focused on technology, laptops, Asian business, Bollywood, sports, and more – nearly ten in total. Our Bollywood blog was part of this network, primarily hosted on Blogspot or Google Blogger.
Writing about Bollywood came naturally. I've been watching Bollywood films since 1984. By 2006, I had 22 years of accumulated knowledge. My team members were even more passionate and knowledgeable than I was.
They could produce excellent content. We had no shortage of information, as Indian newspapers extensively covered Bollywood, and dedicated websites provided in-depth news.
This continues today. Back then, YouTube wasn't as accessible in Bangladesh due to slow internet speeds. YouTube video streaming became more feasible around 2009.
From that point, we could watch YouTube videos more freely as internet speeds improved. Those early days, before reliable streaming, seem like a distant dream. I'm referring to the years around 2007 and 2008.
Bollywood was immensely popular throughout South Asia. In 2006 and 2007, its popularity surpassed cricket, as the Indian Premier League (IPL) had not yet started. Entertainment was predominantly Bollywood-centric.
Cricket's popularity was limited to India's international matches. There was no IPL to capture widespread interest.
Bollywood music was also highly prevalent. As mentioned, YouTube was slow, not just in Bangladesh but also in India. Many lacked access to high-speed internet.
MP3 audio files were popular. I believe millions of audio cassettes were still being sold in 2006.
Bollywood music was at its peak. The cassette, CD, and DVD industries generated significant revenue. Today, physical sales are negligible, replaced by online streaming.
This shift has made it challenging for films to earn as much from music sales as they once did. Movie budgets have increased.
Ticket sales remain strong. Movies now generate substantial revenue from television and OTT platform deals. Bollywood films are also released globally, in countries like the USA, Europe, and the Middle East.
China is an emerging market. Sometimes, overseas revenue surpasses domestic earnings.
However, compared to Hollywood, Bollywood still lags behind. The Southern Indian film industry, particularly Tamil cinema, is performing well, sometimes rivaling Bollywood in revenue and popularity.
This wasn't the case in the early 2000s. The leading actors, like Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, and Salman Khan, remain prominent today.
However, the actresses of 2006 have largely faded from the scene. What I miss most are the older Bollywood songs.
The music and lyrics were exceptional. While there are talented singers today, the overall quality of music composition and lyrics has declined. Returning to the blog, I regret not seizing the opportunity to create a leading Bollywood blog.
If we had tried, we could have succeeded.
However, my life lacked stability, hindering my efforts. I sometimes wish I had taken the risk to establish a blog network from Bangladesh.
It could have been very successful. But life presented challenges. Nevertheless, I am content.
I don't plan to return to this blog. But, ideally, I'd love to create a blog network and encourage others to write about Bollywood and related entertainment topics. I recognize this is wishful thinking.
I'm simply writing for practice, to expand my vocabulary and sentence structure. This is my sixth blog post today. Thank you for reading.
