The Ambani-Spielberg tie-up is a big deal!

Talk about Hollywood's big brother! Industrialist Anil Ambani met acclaimed film-maker Steven Spielberg and his business partner Stacey Snider in New York on July 15 to ink a deal to pump $825 million into Dreamworks Studios.

While Disney will be handling the global marketing of the five or six films that Dreamworks is expected to make annually, Reliance Big Entertainment will retain the distribution rights for India.

But when DNA checked with some biggies in the Hindi film industry, the reaction was neutral. Most don't look at this as a sign of growth for India's film industry as much as it is for Hollywood. The sentiment was echoed by Pritish Nandy, who said, "I would look at it more as a big step for Hollywood. They have tied up with a major Indian company. I think it would help them to get more global business and it's a good change from what they have been doing till now. They have been mostly looking inward and this would be good exposure for them."

While some like Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Rakesh Roshan refused to comment, Manmohan Shetty had a definite reason for refusing to be part of it. "I don't want to comment on what they do because of the kind of association that I have had with them. They had taken over Adlabs from me," he said.

Films from the tie-up
39 Clues: Adventure of two children who set off on a worldwide treasure hunt.
Cowboys and Aliens: An outlaw gets caught up in conflict when aliens invade the land, Area 51.
Dinner for Schmucks: A comic film of a young man who makes a bet that he can find the world's biggest loser.
Motorcade: It is about a Secret Service agent who unwittingly gets involved in a case of the president's abduction.
Hereafter: A supernatural drama about three strangers facing near-death experiences.