South Asian Cinema and Cultural Discount Theory: Comparison with Indian Cinema and Expanding the International Impact of Other South Asian Countries

While most South Asian nations have a movie industry, Indian cinema tends to dominate due to a combination of economic, cultural, historical, and content-related factors. Examining Indian cinema through the lens of Cultural Discount Theory highlights the impact of three essential business components – adaptation, promotion, and selection – on achieving critical and commercial success across borders. In this study, we argue that the cinema industries in other South Asian countries could increase their impact and compete with Indian cinema by adopting an international approach rather than restricting themselves only to their domestic markets.