ShareThisFor Indian families across the state, Galaxy Cinema is the place for a big-screen slice of home.
The six-screen art house generally reserves one or sometimes two of its theaters for Indian-produced films. Last year, the love story "Jodhaa Akbar" stayed on screens for more than two months, attracting more than 10,000 ticket buyers.
But a movie-producer strike in India has cut the flow of Hindi-language films to Cary. To fill the space, Galaxy owners have turned toward mainstream American films.
Some recent hits screened at Galaxy Cinema:
-- "Singh is Kinng": A comedy whose title character is king of the Australian underworld. The soundtrack is notable for a contribution from American hip-hip artist Snoop Dogg, who raps: "What up to all the ladies hanging out in Mumbai."
-- "Gajini": Inspired by the American film "Memento," this gritty movie revolves around a man with amnesia who works to avenge the murder of his girlfriend.
-- "Slumdog Millionaire": Although filmed in India, this international smash hit featured a British director and producers and is not considered a Bollywood film. Immensely popular among Galaxy audiences, the film ran for six months.
"I'm sick and tired of this strike," said Lina Patel of Cary, who visits the theater nearly every weekend. "It's been forever since they've gotten the good movies."
Indian movie producers are arguing with Indian multiplex owners over their split of the profits. Since April, producers and distributors have been refusing to turn over their completed films to Indian multiplexes. The dispute may be happening on the other side of the world, but its ripples are affecting popcorn sales in western Wake County.
Indian films are responsible for about 25 percent of the Galaxy's revenues, said Siva Allu, one of three partners who own the theater. And the lack of films in the pipeline means the Galaxy folks can't get any from their distributors.
The region, particularly Cary, is home to a thriving Indian population. Plus, Indian families from across the state routinely make weekend visits to the Galaxy, also visiting nearby Indian shops and restaurants during their trips.
In addition to its Indian films, the Galaxy concentrates on smaller, independent movies such as "The Wrestler," the recent art-house hit starring Mickey Rourke. Until the strike, the theater had not booked mainstream, blockbuster movies. But in looking for ways to make up for that 25 percent loss in revenue, the owners recently showed "Star Trek" and "Terminator Salvation."
Booking a mainstream hit isn't easy for the Galaxy. Because the theater isn't known for showing those sorts of films, distributors are wary of providing the prints.
"They don't want to take a chance on us," Allu said.
And even when the Galaxy does get them, the mainstream movies so far have not brought in the money that the Indian movies did, said Nagi G. Reddy, another co-owner. To help fill the screens, the theater also has shown older Indian films.
Moviegoer Patel, who sees nearly every movie shown at the theater, enjoys the Hindi-language films for their fun factor. Unlike the average American movie, many Hindi films include song-and-dance numbers.
"These movies are very colorful," she said. "They're very entertaining."
Plus, Patel said, the Hindi films help her practice her Hindi. "It's amazing how quickly you lose a language if you don't use it."
The Galaxy owners, who follow the strike news on the Internet, are hopeful that it could end in the next few weeks. For now, they're hedging their bets.
They've already spoken to distributors about getting the next Harry Potter movie.
(matt.ehlers(at)newsobserver.com)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
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