There are fascinating dynamics between Indian and Asian cinema. There's a lot to learn from the minnows in the neighbourhood
For too long, india has been obsessed with the west. but we have far more in common with Asia: Culture, traditional values, family ties and emphasis on humanity, apart from trade, markets, religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism, and more. With foresight, we could develop closer ties and markets in Asia, including for films.
I have always wondered why Bollywood has ignored the massive Chinese film market right next door, for which the whole world is vying. I can’t recollect any Indian film set in China, between V Shantaram’s Dr Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani (1946) and Nikhil Advani’s Chandni Chowk to China (2009), co-produced by Warner Bros—a gap of 63 years.
(This story appears in the July-Aug 2014 issue of ForbesLife India. To visit our Archives, click here.)