Actor-producer Anil Kapoor, who made an appearance at the British Film Institute as a special guest last month, says people in the Indian film industry work in a chaotic way. However, he appreciated the incredible level of commitment put into planning and preparations in making films in Britain.
The British Council has launched the UK India Year of Culture, a celebration of the longstanding relationship between India and Britain.
In a conversation with Robin Baker, Head Curator of the British Film Institute, Anil was asked about the key differences between the two film industries.
Anil said: “There is no difference. Everybody is the same. We work in the same way… same camera. But what I feel… which I must accept is that the commitment, planning and the prep… which I can see when I work with a British team, is incredible. That’s what we need to learn. We work in a chaotic way, but things are getting better now,” said Anil.
Further talking about the Indian film industry, he said: “In the 1980s and 1990s, I think we lost our way in the Indian film industry, but the younger generation… with the advent of the digital format, I can see people thinking globally.”
“The world is shrinking. And I am optimistic about a lot of collaborations between the two nations.”
Anil also thanked English filmmakers Danny Boyle and Richard Attenborough for making Indian actors and culture more acceptable on the global platform.
“A lot of British filmmakers have done a lot for India, and made our father of the nation (Mahatma Gandhi) and our culture, all of us… Actors, more acceptable on the global platform,” said the actor, who featured in Boyle’s Oscar-winning film “Slumdog Millionaire”.
Sharing his experience of working with Boyle, who has helmed popular films like “The Beach” and “Steve Jobs”, Anil said: “I didn’t initially know that he was Danny Boyle. My son (Harshvardhan) told me about him.
“I told my son that ‘This is a script that has come to me and Danny Boyle wants to cast me.’ He said, ‘Dad that’s Danny Boyle’. He read the script before I could. So, later when I met Danny, I first asked for an autograph for my son.
“When asked if I was doing the film, I said ‘Of course I am doing the film.’ He asked if I read the script. I said ‘No. But my son wants me to do the film.’ So that’s my experience with Danny Boyle.”
The Indian actor, who had also featured in the hit US-based TV series “24”, said Boyle isn’t just a good filmmaker, but also a phenomenal human being and an absolute genius.
When asked about the actor’s upcoming film, “Mubarakan”, Anil said: “I am overwhelmed with whatever I’ve seen of the film yet and it is the first time I am playing the role of a British Asian from the Sikh community.”
He added that 90 per cent of the movie has been shot in Britain.
“It is a typical happy Bollywood film about an Indian family staying in England, rooted in their culture,” he said about the film, directed by Anees Bazmee.
