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Slumdog Millionaire has caught the attention of the Western audience so much so that there is a tremendous interest now in India and in Bollywood. Some Western cities now have full fledged Bollywood dancing schools, and many, from Jay Leno to Milan fashion shows, seem to take keen interest in the personal lives of Bollywood starts.
Now, even the Western sports world is copying the Bollywood stars.
Earlier in the year, Tiger Woods made a come back from a long injury lay off. And the PGA was worried that their revenues were nose diving without his presence. He came back and made a splash. And how! His fit-pumping was back and so was his game.
Woods has apparently asked for a 3 million dollar (Australian) appearance fee to appear in the Australian Masters in Melbourne this November (he surely must have had a chat with Akshay Kumar). The Victorian government has agreed to pay half the appearance fee.
Trending
Why?
The Austrailans simply adore Woods, and his first ever appearance in Australia is estimated to bring between 10 and 20 thousand foreign and interstate visitors to Melbourne to catch a glimpse of Woods! And that would mean an influx of 19 million dollars (Australian) into Victoria’s economy according to the auditors of Ernst & Young.
Now that is ingenious. You use the tax payers’ money to pay for Wood’s appearance fee, and then expect the same tax payers to spend more money to come and watch Woods play! Hello! Isn’t that cheating?
I just wonder if such a scenario would work in India. Well, I am not toosure about the number of people that would flock to see Woods play in India (I would, and would ask for tax exemption if the government was paying his appearance fee!), but it certainly may not bring the same millions as it would in a nation like Australia.
May be it would work if the person happened to be a certain Maria Sharapova. With her, I am certain that you don’t even need her to ‘appear’ in one of our WTA tournaments, a simple rumour would do and our television channels would bring in the millions!
