"I've always said I'm a people's person. And to be able to talk about
our cinema with audiences abroad is an experience I hold close to my heart,"On His Wharton University Experience:
They were all clued into our cinema, and amazingly interactive. Most of their questions were about this year's two reformist films 'Rang De Basanti' and 'Lage Raho Munna Bhai'. These two films have completely changed western perceptions of our cinema.
"From being a song-and-dance oddity, we're now looked at as purveyors of a cinema with serious stimulating ideas put together in a palatable style."
On Bollywood:
"Earlier, in the 1950s we had the socially relevant cinema of Raj Kapoor and Guru Dutt like 'Awara', 'Sri 420' and 'Pyaasa'. But then the movement petered out. I believe 'Rang De Basanti" and 'Lage Raho...' have revived the influence of reformist cinema not just in India but in the West."
"Mahatma Gandhi was always our father-figure. But somewhere his significance had been lost to the younger generation. While at Wharton I was amazed by the interest in Gandhian thought. I was repeatedly questioned on how much Rajkumar Hirani's film reflected the wider social reality."
On KANK : Cos There No Escaping Kank!
"They wanted to know how I could make the film that I did with stars with established images. I think it's simply amazing how much interest America has in our cinema."
"All I can say is, it will have a title beginning with 'K'. No matter how much things change for us in Indian cinema, some things remain the same."
IANS
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