"Chandni Chowk" is the first of six Bollywood productions the Time Warner Inc. unit plans this year in India and markets including the U.S. and the U.K., Richard Fox, executive vice president for international films, said in an interview.

As Hollywood studios tailor more productions for growing markets such as India, they're also targeting fans in the U.S., where overall ticket sales are falling. "Chandni Chowk" is being shown in cities such as New York and Los Angeles that have a significant ethnic South Asian populace.

"They see it as a growth market because the Indian and South Asian populations outside of India are growing so rapidly," Gitesh Pandya, editor of New York-based Box Office Guru LLC, said in an interview.

The movie is being released simultaneously in countries with large South Asian populations that also include Germany, South Africa and Australia, Fox said.

The success of "Slumdog Millionaire," from News Corp.'s Fox Searchlight, may create some cross-over appeal for mainstream U.S. audiences, said Fox, the Warner executive. "Slumdog," winner of four Golden Globe awards, including best drama, tells the story of a young Indian who seeks his fortune on a television game show.

"Slumdog," made for about US$15 million by director Danny Boyle, has taken in US$44 million in worldwide ticket sales since its Nov. 12 release.

The two films are different in tone, Fox said. Shot on location in India, China and Thailand, the 154-minute "Chandni Chowk" provides the typical over-the-top Bollywood mix of song, dance, comedy and melodrama.

"Our film is very much a Bollywood movie," Fox said. "It's almost a different movie at different points in which you're watching it."