It is time to make a Hindi film now: Ashok Amritraj
Having produced over a 100 Hollywood films but only one Indian project in his career spanning three decades, Indian American filmmaker Ashok Amritraj feels it is high time he takes up another Hindi film.
|Last Updated: Nov 29, 2012, 07:52 PM IST|Source: Bureau
Panaji: Having produced over a 100 Hollywood films but only one Indian project in his career spanning three decades, Indian American filmmaker Ashok Amritraj feels it is high time he takes up another Hindi film.
Amritraj`s only production in his native country was 1998 Tamil romantic drama `Jeans`, starring Aishwarya Rai, Prashanth and Nassar in lead roles. The film was also dubbed in Hindi and Telugu.
"I am waiting for a screenwriter to bring me a script which I cannot put down. I am yet to find a great original idea and once that happens I will definitely do a Hindi movie. I want to encourage writers to come to me and my staff with a script. It is time I do one Hindi movie now," Amritraj told reporters.
His list of Hollywood work includes movies like ‘Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance’, ‘Killer’, ‘Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li’, ‘The Other End of the Line’, ‘Premonition’, ‘Double Impact’ and ‘Eyewitness to Murder’.
Amritraj will be attending the 43rd International film festival of India here, where a tribute is being paid to his work. He was earlier supposed to spend two days at the fest but due to his father`s ill health he will be coming in for a day only.
The former tennis player said the coincidence between the celebration of 100 years of Indian Cinema and his completing 100 Hollywood films the same year is an honour.
"It is terrific to be a part of the festival which is celebrating 100 years of cinema and I have just completed my 100th film in Hollywood. I am honoured that a tribute is being paid to me in my home country. I thank the Government of India for this honour and respect," he added.
Amritraj is the chairman and CEO of Hyde Park Entertainment, which is also planning to open a branch in India.
He feels Indian cinema is evolving and it needs to channel its way on to the West and explore a lot more territories.
"Festivals are such a great platform to show your film to different markets. Indian cinema is at an interesting place today, it is evolving. Audience is younger and are ready to accept the films. They have different tastes and want to see different cinema."
But the producer feels it is time the divide between festival films and commercial movies is diminished like it is in Hollywood.
"What needs to be changed is the divide between festival films, art house movies and commercial films. I hope the stars here work in every kind of film like in Hollywood, a Brad Pitt or George Clooney don`t mind working in small budget films. Also the directors and producers don`t stick to big budget movies only."
Amritraj also said that Indian filmmakers need to look at scripts more globally now so that it reaches a wider audience.
"It is ironic how Ang Lee does a `Life of Pi` which is based on an Indian theme, shot in India whereas our producers and directors don`t think of it. And this has been happening for a while now; we had `Slumdog Millionaire` also which had India as a theme. I think Indian producers and directors need to look at ideas and scripts more globally now."
PTI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.