China is making its presence felt in Bollywood

Chinese companies are rapidly increasing investment in India. At least 15 new Chinese smartphone brands have entered India since 2015 alone and many have announced production plans to cater to local demand. With products and services across sectors and at varied price bands, China is fast removing its image of a ‘cheap and low grade’ supplier.

And with this, a new drift has been observed. More and more Chinese companies are eying the Bollywood route to gain traction in a huge and complicated market like India.

VMate: The latest export from China, VMate is a video platform that offers HD-copyrighted movies at zero cost. VMate launched in India on August 31, with an exclusive launch of Bollywood actor Irrfan's latest outing, 'Madaari' (2016). The app allows users to steam a movie online or download for later. It also showcases latest trailers and recommends videos based on user's watch history and interest. VMate comes with a smooth, simple and stylish interface and a promise to bring dynamic, trending content related to movies to a single click.

UC Browser: A mobile browser from Alibaba Mobile Business Group, the company has tied up with India’s leading digital entertainment service Hungama Music. Users of UCWeb can download from Hungama’s exhaustive music library of over 2 million tracks free of cost. The company has also partnered with Colors TV to bring four of its biggest shows including Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, Season 24, Bigg Boss, and Comedy Nights Live across its portfolio of apps. UCWeb is also creating a game based on 24 that will first launch on its sister platform 9Apps.

WeChat: The mobile messaging service from the Chinese Internet giant Tencent, has increased its focus on the Indian market through the Bollywood route. The company was involved with Bollywood films –MatrukiBijleekaMandola and Himmatwala as part of their social media marketing campaigns. Not just that, the company also roped in Bollywood actors Parineeti Chopra and Varun Dhawan as brand ambassadors.

Oppo and Gionee: Oppo roped in ultra-stylish Bollywood actors, SonamKapoor and Hrithik Roshan to build brand appeal among ordinary Indians. It has also been a key sponsor of Bigg Boss, India's most watched reality show. Since its entry into India in 2013, Oppo’s key rival Gionee has already tied up with Huma Qureshi, Farhan Akhtar and now Alia Bhat for its multiple campaigns. It has also sponsored a Bollywood music industry awards show.