Just back from the BAFTAs, Anil Kapoor is all set to get busy with his television debut this year. The veteran actor who is busy looking after the production work of his latest venture talks about Bollywood going global:
International identity
I feel that Slumdog Millionaire (SDM) was a trendsetter of sorts. It opened new avenues for talented Indians in the field of cinema. The exchange of ideas between Hollywood and Bollywood will only grow further. Even people from our industry have started making efforts to reach out to a wider audience. Earlier, they did try their luck in Hollywood but were too shy to talk about it. They didn't speak about it publicly as they feared failure. Now they are more vocal about their struggles in Hollywood. Actors from our industry have called me enquiring about Hollywood's work patterns and whereabouts. And I am very happy with this change.
On foreign shores
I am very optimistic that Indian cinema will cross the benchmark created by Slumdog Millionaire some day. The day a production directed and written by Indians becomes a global success, I guess we will cross that benchmark. And by global success, I don't mean just going to few critically acclaimed award ceremonies but commercial success as well.
Content calling
Bollywood really needs to understand what will be accepted worldwide. The subject and the script should be original, yet very relatable for people to accept it worldwide. A lot of research is needed as far as the content is concerned.