33 thoughts on “Hollywood vs Bollywood ?”

1. This is really a very relevant topic of discussion. I completely agree with your view that the cinematic medium shines when it falls into the hands of individualistic talents (Hollywood’s old masters like Orson Welles, just to take one name or India’s Guru Dutt). Today’s Hollywood produces movies for mass consumption in an assembly line (Who would know it better than you?). But in Bollywood, the entry of Hollywood studios has given some hope to the new directors. They might have bright ideas, they may not want to make the same trite masala films but there are no backers for them. Corporates and Hollywood studios might provide them that opportunity. But how serious is this going to be remains to be seen. I wrote a piece on this theme. When you have time, you may look at it here: http://dreamink.blogspot.com/2007/10/bollywood-hollywired.html

2. dude,
   from your blog entry it seems there is zero future for a screen writer in India…i am fucked…! lol
   till now my two scripts have turned from paper to celluloid. one marathi film and another hindi(children’s film). both were co written…Hindi film MIGHT release early next year…it has won awards and all…good for the director and the film…its his first baby and he has worked a lot on it…it is an honest and cute film…
   as far as breaking into the main stream on my own is concerned i have been trying it for a quite some time…but this year i realized that fault is at my end…i was not presenting PROPERLY DEVELOPED STORIES or SCRIPTS… so now i ahve become more focused and now started knocking the doors with GOOD MATERIAL ( sensible people around me whom i consider sensible have given me feed backs…based on that i am saying GOOD MATERIAL…hahahaha)…now let me get tired of trying…then i will know the proper process…i am good at finding personal numbers…and i got personal number of Mr.Vivek Vasvani…he was very good on the phone…after 3-4 calls he said ‘ Kedar…if you are so confident while calling me i am sure you have good material..but you are contacting wrong person…contact actors…they run our industry…get me SAIF or SHARUKH or any selling face…mai kya idhar paisa lagane ke liye hi to baitha hoon…’
   his voice sounded honest…he might have said it to get rid of me…but i found it logical…so now i am contacting actors too who have backing of production houses and financiers or have their own production houses…
   but as far as corporate houses are concerned i have realized that they are NOT AT ALL corporate in true sense…because unless you have proper contact you can not break into their circuit…second- even if you break, WHO IS GOING TO ASSES your script?… 🙂 ( but let me try some more…i like to fail…i am too lazy and have been taking things way too lightly…thanks to philosophy…after getting first hand experience with ‘good material’ in hand, i will truly know how are these corporate houses in reality!)
   but yes, no matter how much they try, it is going to remain PERSONAL ART and hence sensible people will write or co write their own films and will keep raising finances on the basis of good will, brand name etc. this is bit depressing for a budding writer…because if i will approach established directors, they will say we have pile of screenplays lying on the table and tons of ideas in mind…there is a faint chance that they might flip through few pages of mine and might get impressed and might ask to co-write…that means i am locked with that ONE dream project of theirs for at least a year…then what about those tons of ideas that are in my MIND?
   i know some of established screen writers…they too co write…but since they are established they dont have to stick to ONE project at a time…its more professional arrangement for them…they discuss an idea of their own or director’s…then if both director-writer agree on creative and professional terms, they go ahead and write a script…
   amm…what more?…i guess thats it…i had to tell my personal journey because i am not yet into the CIRCUIT…so i have no right to comment on the issue in discussion. at this stage i can not generalize anything about the issue…if it would have been creative discussion i would have directly commented on it with out getting personal…
   at the end the most important thing is that I WRITE ONLY WHAT I WANT TO WRITE and hence even if i am an outsider as of now, i feel CONNECTED! (philosophy helps..hmm… 🙂 )
   kedar

3. Unfortunately Cinema is the most complicated art form. Canvas, colours and brushes to create this art are way too expensive. When this expensive painting is ready then our need for it is….lots of buyers (viewers) to buy it, in order to recover it’s cost and then to make profit. In hollywood at least the big studios have the power of distribution (that has been created over the years by glorification of America). The countries which don’t even speak english, they can still market American films there too. In the same way they have marketed McDonalds and burgers in the country of samosas and pani poori.
   But now there is a difference between making good films and just distributing them. Corporations’ main motive is to make a profit…and that can be achieved only when you make a product cheap in its cost.
   There is a difference between a corporation and an artist…What I believe is it’s hard to hire an artist to make a good painting. Imagine if some corporations would have hired Da Vinci to create the “Monalisa”!!
   But yes once a piece of art is ready ….now you can give it to a marketing genius to market it.
   So the ANSWER IS YES, the art is individualistic in nature and now if someone has distribution power, then it becomes business.
   Tata produced “Aitbaar” and Birla produced “Black”….Don’t know what happened to them after making one film…Maybe they realised it is not a business of their nature.
   Regards
   Sanjay

4. Hi Sir…well i don’t really know how to start…well i guess firstly i should apologise coz i know the comments are to be used to post reactions on the content but i’m using it to promote my personal agenda but i just had to…had no other way…and also coz i hate looking back n asking myself “WHAT IF?…”…i’ll keep it brief…i’m Saahil Sehgal..i’m an aspiring actor..I’m a punjabi but was brought up in visakhapatnam in A.P.,did my schoolin there n then my graduation in engineering from Manipal in Karnataka..well ever since i’ve known what words like dreams,desires,life mean i’ve wanted to be an actor…it’s like a voice inside me tellin me it’s my purpose…my destiny…it’s the first thing i think of when i wake up in the morning n the last thing i think of when i go to sleep at night..i’ve been in mumbai now for over a year..have also done a 3 month acting workshop with Mr.Anupam Kher..

5. ..jus so tht i would get a sort of foothold in mumbai..coz i had no clue how else to go about it..i’ve done theatre prior to tht in school n college..have also done some work post the course..coming to the point i jus read ur interview in today’s HT Cafe and as soon as i read tht u were looking at casting new comers for ur next film paani i jus had this uncontrollable urge to somehow get in touch with u..jus so tht i would have a shot i feel i deserve..so this is sort of an appeal to u..someone right at the top of their game to help some1 jus startin off in this game..which rarely happens in this industry!!All i’m asking for is for u to give me a chance to show n prove myself to u n trust me sir u’ll be anything but disappointed..jus give me one chance

6. Hi,
   Time travel – an awesome topic to make a movie on. If I’m not wrong there were some projects started but never came to anything..?
   Imagine if one cud travel back or forward and change things, political, economic, sports, social events, maybe even natural disasters..awesome thot !

7. ..that’s all i ask..one shot at it..whenever ur casting jus let me know or if this post by any chance or should be sayin miracle catches ur imagination or fancy n u’d like to jus meet me briefly do let me know!..i don’t know y i’m doing this coz it sounded crazy in my head even when i started out but seems like there’s more at play here than jus my thoughts so i had to give it a shot..don’t know y but i have a pinch of hope that u might jus oblige me n if not then jus humor me..but do give me a chance sir so a dreamer could come a step closer to his most cherished dream!!
   My contact no. is 9820368223 n my email id is saahilsehgal@gmail.com
   Lookin forward to a miracle..to hearing from u!!Thank u…God Bless!

8. Hi Shekhar,
   Individualism and creative freedom are no doubt pre-requisites for any art form to flower, but there has to be someone to warn the director if he’s going astray. After all, movie-making is not just an art form but is also a business as the producer is putting in his/her money in the film in the hope of making a profit.
   Before starting a film project it is very important to first determine the object of making the film. Whether it is being made purely for creative satisfaction of the maker or whether there is a profit motive involved. If there is a profit motive involved and the Director of the film is being paid handsomely for his/her professional inputs, then it makes sense if he listens to valid inputs from others who are a part of the film-making team.
   Look what happened to Saawariya. It was an out an out one man show. No one can say that Sanjay Leela Bhansali was not given creative freedom to do what he wanted by Sony Pictures/Columbia Tristar. Yet the film was trashed by the critics & the audiences alike. The reviews that I read were unanimous in their verdict that Saawariya is a bad film, yet they were not able to precisely pin-point what exactly was wrong with the film. I saw the film a couple of days back and here is what I think was wrong with the film.
   The set which SLB created for Saawariya, though very lavish & beautiful, was totally out of sync with the story he wanted to tell. On the one hand he seemed to be inspired by the Lokhandwala area (notoriously filmy area of Mumbai & where I live) coz we could see the buildings names as “Windermere” and “Clifton”. Then there was this bridge (Lokhandwala also has a bridge). But what one could not digest was Ranbir taking Sonam for a boat ride under that bridge as if they were in Venice. Where exactly was this fantasy land? The whole film is shot in this one set and makes one feel claustrophobic. It seems SLB was suffering from a hangover of Black, which was also shot in a lavish set. The film was too focused on making the debutant(e) couple of Ranbir and Sonam look good. At best, Saawariya could be described as a good promo for the acting talents of Sonam and Ranbir.
   A film-maker’s primary job is to make the story he/she wants to tell, believable. That’s where SLB failed.
   The point I’m making here is that if someone from the company which funded the film had seen this major flaw in the film, they could have forewarned SLB from making this blunder.
   Now take a look at another film released on the same day as Saawariya, Om Shanti Om. By no stretch of imagination was OSO an extra-ordinary film. Yet it is probably this year’s biggest blockbuster hit. Simply because it was packaged and marketed superbly right from the scripting stage to the actual release of the film. Inspite of having a re-incarnation theme, the film looked *believable*.
   Shekhar, directors should not grudge inputs from Corporates who are funding the film if they make commercial sense. How much do you get paid for directing a Hollywood film? My guess is upwards of 5 million dollars maybe? 😉 If you were doing a film for free and if there was no profit motive involved in making that film, then you would be justified in asking for total freedom. But when the film is a commercial venture and a profit motive is involved, then the ultimate VETO powers have to go to the person who is putting in the money.
   Cheers!
   Navin
   PS: Read your tete-a-tete with Khalid Mohamed in today’s HT Cafe. Good to know you are seriously planning to start Paani next and heartening to know that you would make the film with newcomers. 🙂

9. I wish I had some inside knowledge of how Bollywood has worked historically so I could write with some decent credibility.
   In the US, which I know a little about, new methods of product distribution are breaking the music industry, and the same is beginning to happen with film. These trends are being seen globally, too — and differences in licensing and copyrights worldwide are part of the set of forces putting pressure on these industries.
   Indian is poised on a strange boundary – on the one hand, there’s the classic trend towards consolidation of resources and power that affects (or afflicts) every industry when a critical mass of funding is reached and growing markets are available. On the other hand, what country is better suited than India to see and make good use of new approaches for product distribution? As the move to consolidate continues, so will pressure to change the way business has been done classically. This should create new niches for filmmakers, for at least a few years. I’d predict you can expect the unexpected in India, as well as worldwide, and the place to look for it is on the unstable edges of the developing fractures. This is where some of the most artistic work will be seen, I think.
   A note on OSO — where would that film have been without SRK & company’s approach to filmmaking, from bottom to top?? Let’s not dismiss the man and his vision, nor his willingness to put his money where his ideas are. He breaks the mold, just a little, with everything he tries. Sometimes what he does works, and sometimes not, but overall he’s been (and still is) an important force in the oxygenation of Indian film.

10. Dear Shekhar,
    This is a very interesting post to compare Hollywood with the Indian film industry. The main reason I can think of as to why the films that have done well in the past may have been directed, produced and written by the same person/family is that it affords them a level of freedom and control over the project. Besides Salim-Javed few if any writers have made their name in India, because writers have never been valued in the Indian industry. In the book ‘Maximum City’ by Suketu Mehta, which I read a few weeks back, Vidhu Vinod Chopra says that although he has 100 people around him while making a film, he can hardly delegate anything, as everyone is so mediocre and that may have been the most important reason why they would like to be in director/producer/writer roles. The truth is that while making a film the passion resides only in the heart for 1-2 people and everybody else is a worker paid to do work.
    In Hollywood, most of the big directors hardly ever write their scripts, but they are deeply involved (I mean the ones that really care about their projects and reputation). There is a saying that the writer should be as creative as possible in the first draft, and then when the director gets involved, the next 5-10 drafts will all be as per his vision of the project. In a great book on the insides of screenwriting (which has in depth interviews with great screenwriters) I read the collaboration of Spielberg and Steven Zaillian during the writing of ‘Schindler’s List’. Steven wrote the first draft of about 130 pages when it went to Spielberg, and then he told him to write many scenes that were unrelated to Oscar Schindler, and Steven was very surprized as most regular scripts never leave the central character or his/her story for even 1 page. Speilberg made him do so much research on the types of guns they used, the dimensions of the cartridges and lots of things that can hardly make it to the script. On the other hand, Shyamalan always writes his films and now produces his film as well – Do you think he makes better films than Spielberg or Scorsese? I agree that in franchise films like Harry potter or Spiderman we hardly remember who directed them, as they are sold because of the franchise name and not because of a director or actor, and no A- list director will get involved with these projects.
    The studios do get overly creatively involved in most projects and the directors have to work within that framework, as the studios are doing (or they believe they are) everything for the financial success of the project. In spite of the freedom he has, Spielberg has hardly ever written any of his scripts in the last 2 decades (besides improving Stanley Kubrick’s script for AI) and has always worked with writers. Even under DreamWorks he never risked making a film written by him, and I’m sure he knows that his skill lies in directing and he probably can’t write a film as well as, say, a Eric Roth. Besides that people have certain expectations from each auteur and Spielberg has made his name as a director, so the American people may not like a film as much if he wrote it himself and then directed it, so the economics of filmmaking will suggest that he just directs. Besides that, top directors in Hollywood hardly have the time to write scripts even if they wanted to.
    Some of the directors can’t work under such control, so they go independent. A great recent example of this is the Ang Lee – James Schamus collaboration (whom I accidentally met at the premiere of the Queen at the NY Film Festival in 2006 – I was listening to his and Ang Lee’s commentary on the Crouching Tiger DVD that afternoon and in the evening I meet him in the restroom. How providence works!). Even here, Ang Lee let’s James Schamus or Diana Ossana do the writing (I’m sure he is deeply involved in all the drafts) and focuses on directing. The other example I can think of is the Merchant Ivory films, where all the scripts were written by Ruth Jhabwala. In the same book I mentioned above about Steven Zaillian, Ruth says that she wrote the first draft totally independently and only then James Ivory would suggest changes to it, and often Ismail will also suggest changes. Then it’d become a collaborative process to arrive at the shooting script. This worked for them and they made great films without any studio control.
    The Indian industry has to develop a big talent pool of writers and a few writers have already started making their name. Even directors like Maniratnam are using them regularly (like Anurag Kashyap for Yuva) and making wonderful films. It was a necessary in the past to be in control of writing/directing/producing but as we move from mediocrity of excellence in filmmaking in India (don’t get me wrong here, we have made tons of great films in the past – I am just talking about the availability of a bigger talent pool) such control is no longer necessary. In fact it may be considered ego-tripping and over-indulgence can actually spoil a film, as we saw in a recent big film.
    In the end it’s all about the combination of a great script, great direction, proper marketing and public interest in the project that will make a hit.
    Best Regards,
    Himanshu – Mumbai

11. Dear Shekhar,
    Nice to see you back after a while. I watched you talking on NDTV’s Big Fight. You have reiterated couple of points from that discussion in this post too. I agree with you completely when you say that true creative expression is very individualistic in nature and should not be tempered with market forces.
    I dont think that in India, atleast till the near future, marketing managers are going to be that strong as to guide the film’s script or it’s direction.
    Infact, I see something unique happening in Bollywood where once a filmmaker becomes successfull as a director/scriptwriter, he/she is venturing into production without wasting much time ( Rakesh Mehra, Kunal Kohli, Farhan Akhtar, Ashutosh Gowariker). By taking as much control as possible on the medium, he intends to become even more independent in his creative expression. Iam not sure what you think about this trend.
    I also agree with you that Hollywood has lost it’s sheen. I think that relying too much on technology/special effects and , as discussed by you, studio control -which wants to standarize films a la McDonalds- are responsible for that.
    However, I have my reservations on you being so bullish about Bollywood. Agreed that Hollywood has reached it’s saturation and may not have enough left to give to the world, but I think it still churns out more sensible and watchable stuff than Bollywood. Not more than handful of Bollywood movies released every year are of International standards. Even the best ones are generally not comparable with best ones from Hollywood. Can you compare a Babel with a Rang De Basanti ?( Both one of the best movies of Hollywood and Bollywood respectively last year). Most of our “cool” movies are unapologetic rip offs from Hollywood and other international movies. No doubt that in recent years, experimentation with form and content has started, but still we are far away from being taken seriously by audiences outside India ( Yes, song and dance sequence may look exotic to a non-Indian for the first time, but it’s not enough to sustain his interest next time if he wants to watch good cinema)
    Himanshu: You made very valid points. I also believe that Director should be deeply involved in the script even if he hasn’t written it. He should entirely believe in and relate to the story and the characters of the script before he starts shooting. In both Bollywood and Hollywood, great directors were/are always involved in scriptwriting in either overt or covert way.

12. 1) Increasingly, because of technology, it will be possible for ONE PERSON to make an ENTIRE feature film. Historically, this is in the auteur tradition (Ford, Hitchcock, others).
    2) Increasingly, because of technology, it will be possible for MILLIONS OF PEOPLE to make a SINGLE feature film. Historically, this is in the (less documented) collaborative tradition (Coppolla, Minghella, others).
    From an art perspective, I believe there is room for both traditions to thrive. Genius vision and unpredictable synergies both have a pattern of springing up in spite of the practical limitations.
    From a business perspective, I don’t know. I think there will be a widening gulf…
    As the budget increases, you either have a commercially strong producer/director (DeMille, Lucas, Cameron); or you have the collaborative non-artistic involvement of industry people (marketing, distribution).
    But the commerically strong producer/directors for tentpole films are (and can be) very few. So, artistically strong producers or directors swim in the mid-level budget pool.
    I don’t think this is a Hollywood/Bollywood issue whatsoever. Historically, Indian film fulfilled the gamut of entertainment needs, while in the US a mix of media did the same. As India continues its TV explosion, there will be less dependency on movies only for entertainment. And thus Indian movies — “Bollywood” — will transform. Just as Hollywood musicals did.
    You ask which way we want Indian film to go. I don’t think we have much choice in the matter. We can only, in our own personal efforts, strive to preserve what is true to Indian culture — in whatever form is the currency of the day.
    If I might be so forward to speak personally, Shekhar, I hope this chapter of life and film leads you back to your roots.
    Regards,
    Zack

13. Lets transcend both and envision ‘Globollywood’.Lets get above relativity and espouse the absolute.
    Shekhar lets envision a solution out of the present global mess where blaming west or east; history or biology won’t help.
    Lets get out of the trap of old paradigms.If divinity is, its everywhere, in everyone, in every event.
    Lets understand the Universe better…with faith maybe.
    Lets not talk about mumbai or newyork or london or singapore lets talk about Earth to start with.
    For creative people its possible…I should know.

14. Cinema is a cultural artefact, so cant escape being art and a commercial enterprise.new economic order throws up new approaches to cinema making.
    good cinema, i guess, does an intelligent tight rope walking betwee art and commercial enterprise.

15. This is pretty much all round relevant now I think… How does British filmmaking work Shekhar? Does the financing and producing go through similar hollywood studio stages. I am sure it has its own benefits but it seems to suck out life force for some reason… I know in Australia there is much scope for independant cinema, with the government funds but sadly not much of a commercial market….

16. If the corporates achieve their goal and act as a true studio and not give into these families who are controlling Indian Film, this could and hopefully be a great change for Indian Cinema, both artistically and global commerciability!! The amount of talented Indian film makers in India and abroad is, I am guesing quite a huge, who dont have a chance to break into Indian Film.
    I am sure these are talents with new ideas and concepts but there will also be ones who embrace traditional Indian styles and there will be ones who mix it up!! I just hope the opportunity is given to them, beacause I think we are all missing out on a lot of unseen MAGIC!!!!

17. gud

18. yes you are right

19. Dear shekhar
    why do you think that Indian producers pay too much for women and men who cannot act like Mr and Mrs Junior bacchan , And why does India tout Amitabh although a good actor like he is Indian Bollywood nobility whereas real classy folk like Shatrugan sinha , the kapoors etc who are so genteel and laid back are put in the backseat. Further I personally feel sharmila tagore, smita patil and now Rani Mukherjee are far more alluring Indian beauties than the far too advertised Aishwarya, who actually shocked people here in the west by her poor acting.
    Which makes them say ‘is this India’s best looking actress and best actress?” why cannot you make a movie about Indian women who are really gorgeous and good actors. Please do this?

20. I believe both the Eastern and Western film industries can learn from each other. It doesn’t have to be a one way condescending relationship!

21. In North America, people are finally waking up to the sounds of Bollywood movies. Recently a ten-year-old boy in Toronto, one of my colleague’s son, turned towards me and asked for a pen. His mother explained to me that he watched a Hindi movie in which the actress, clad in skirt and winter high boots, in a ship, pulls out a pen out of her blouse and presents it to the hero. I had a hard time explaining to the child that Indian women do not have secret pouches inside their blouse and why the actress did what she did. I am sure it went over his head. The child’s mother was more curious, why was the actress wearing winter boots in a ship –was she planning to wade in ocean?
    In the recent So You Think You Can Dance, the dancers did two entries of Bollywood dancing. This was choreographed by Nakul ( I forgot his last name). The dance pieces received appreciation and I enjoyed except the westerners don’t know the nuance of our dance style. Our guys and gals know how far and wide they can swing or spread their legs. The dancers in the show had no control over their leg movements, the spreading and lifting was way way too much but was hilarious

22. Dear sir,
    My name is sarvendra bharti, I am student, I write
    a story of a film, I want to see this message to the people, therefore
    I want tell you of this story,so that you may prepare film on this
    story , if you want to see its story, so please you send your
    answer on my e-mail address- sarvendrabharti@ymail.com
    Thank you
    My contact no- 09411922998

23. An excellent post, Mr. Kapur! I maintain a blog of movie reviews (The Post-Punk Cinema Club, http://p-pcc.blogspot.com/) and was just about to begin writing the review for your (excellent!) film, Mr. India, when I found your site and this post.
    I feel that the Hollywood/Bollywood divide is often misunderstood, especially by Westerners. I think you make a very, very good point that the culture of viewing is just as different as the culture of creating. My Western “Bollywood virgin” friends often misunderstand what they’re watching, or miss token scenes which a Bollywood-savvy viewer would be able to pick up on and enjoy. And many of them are incredibly inhibited with regards to the songs – they find them so jarring that it immediately destroys their suspension of disbelief. I’ve tried on several occasions to “convert” these friends, but normally it’s only worked with Parallel Cinema films – Aakrosh, Chakra, Mandi, etc.
    I’ll be adding your blog to my links – it’s very interesting! And: are the rumors of Mr. India 2 true? I hope so – and I hope you’ll be directing again!

24. HELLO, SIR. I THINK MOVIES ARE MADE FOR TWO REASONS. FOR PASSION AND FOR MONEY MAKING AND POPULARITY. THE CORPORATE WORLD IS COMIN TO MOVIE BUSINESS FOR THE LATTER. SO THEY WILL PAY MILLIONS TO STARS RATHER THAN MAKING GOOD MOVIES. BECAUSE IT IS THE STARS RATHER THAN GOOD MOVIES WHICH WILL MAKE THEM POPULAR.
    I THINK I ANYBODY WANNA MAKE A MOVIE WITHOUT ANY COMPOMISE THEN THE SHOULD GO INDEPENDENT.

25. call me any time

26. When we can see two legends together in a movie Shekhar and Aamir Khan, hopefully and awaiting this dream comes true very soon.

27. Hi Shekhar,
    I am desperately looking for one of your song.
    ” Bhulbhulaiya sa ye jeevan, aur hum tum unjaan” can you pls send me lyrics or film name for this song. Very beautiful song

28. Dear Sir,
    I am writing to draw your attention to an Indian mathematician who is now long gone, his name is Srinivasa Ramanujan. He died when he was 32. He did such an extraordinary work that his theorems continue to puzzle mathematicians even today, after almost a century since he passed on.
    When and if you get time, please do consider reading his biography, called “The man who knew Infinity” written by Robert Kanigel. If you ever consider making a film out of it, I believe million of Indian students will be inspired to do advanced math and science after watching it. And who knows what they might accomplish. I bet you have seen “A Beautiful Mind”, we can most certainly portray an Indian genius to the world just as well. Therefore, I think you might like to do this project. If you choose not to, however, then I assure you that you would at least have a splendid time reading the book 🙂
    Thank you.
    Regards,
    Siddharth

29. Dear Sir,
    I am Deepak Singh 26 years old from U.P. I have three story in which 1 story is commpleate and 2 are running,
    compleate story depend on world trade center accourding 9/11 in which more action and a good story hole stotry are arround of three person.
    I want that you heard my story. I hope when u listen my sorry you will agree.
    I fully hope you will give me a chance.
    Thanks,
    Deepak Singh

30. I support hitender.Sir please consider a movie with Aamir Khan.I asked him because you two are the most perfect people in the present film industry.

31. Sk, was just going thru all yr posts, this one def interested me one helluva lot
    cos this is what i have been screaming from my roof top in madras( which no1 is hearing!)
    we compare mediocrity with more mediocrity
    where do we go from here???:(((
    the creative ones dont get their break, the non talented ones get to perform mediocre-ly and think they have given hits and fool themselves and think they have fooled us!
    there r still so many out there who deserve a break and still searching, knocking @ doors…!
    god’s ways r so strange! >sigh<!

32. Dear Shekhar,
    i would like to mention the key words Individualism and Independence.The line between Hollywood and Bollywood is becoming thinner by the day.The same applies to our regional cinema as well.Whay about the likes of Kollywood,Tollywood.Ollywood and so on? Cant we have enough of aping names to say the least?
    Here’s a special case of Hoolywood inspires Bollywood – Sholay.As the critics put it as a curry western,it nevertheless had its own stamp of indian culture and values.
    As you had truly put it as :
    “There has never been a more defining film on the Indian Screen. Indian film history can be divided into Sholay B.C and Sholay A.D.”
    To emphasize this fact,here’s a short fifteen minute feature i made that could add to this debate.I shall be very honored if you could view it and possibly comment on it.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4Vrt1Dsxec

    Regards
    debasish mahapatra

33. Here is a new story for you to make another wonderuful movie http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12151715

    The Movie about Noor Inayat Khan. Please make this movie Sir. I would love to see it when you make it.

    I know it will definatly win hearts, thoughts and awards, obviously.

    Kindly think about this project Noor Inayat Khan.

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