For decades, Western commentators have casually lumped Hindi films, and often the sheer entirety of India’s vibrant cinematic output, under the glitzy moniker of Bollywood. But if you ask actor Ranbir Kapoor, it is high time the international media retired the reductive tag once and for all. Currently stationed in London promoting Nitesh Tiwari’s magnum opus Ramayana alongside castmates Sai Pallavi and Yash, the star spoke candidly to British broadcaster ITV, addressing why he actively distances himself from the old label.
When quizzed on his deep reservations about the umbrella term, Ranbir didn’t mince his words. Pointing to its derivative origins, he explained, “I think it’s just a term used as a derivative of Hollywood. Because it was Bombay at that time, so it became Bollywood, and the Telugu industry became Tollywood, and they had all these different-sounding names.”
For the actor, who is fronting the most expensive production in Indian history, the true priority lies in celebrating the subcontinent’s rich, multifaceted narrative landscape. He articulated, “I would like to be a representative of Indian cinema. We come from a country where we have different cultures, different languages, different states. But at the end of it, we are all striving to make art. And art is something that gets people together. There are no borders in art. You tell a good, authentic story that is rooted in your culture and tradition; it always speaks to the world. We have seen that with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, with films from Korea, and with Life Is Beautiful. The ambition is that, but you are not blindly just trying to cater to a global audience. You are still trying to be really authentic in your storytelling and culture,”
It is a timely, articulate perspective from the star. As modern Indian filmmakers increasingly dismantle regional language silos to deliver bold, borderless narratives on the global marquee, Ranbir’s outright refusal to be defined by a rhyming imitation of the West feels not just refreshing, but profoundly necessary.
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: filmfare.com
