Booming economy helping Indian cinema: Bachchan...

By Bhavna Kaul, Indo-Asian News Service

New York, (IANS) Bollywood

superstar Amitabh Bhachchan believes Indian films are being noticed worldwide as the country has become economically

stronger.

"The validity comes... when a country is economically strong everything about it gets noticed. This is one of the reasons

why anything coming out of India is getting attention," Bachchan said.

He also said that Indian films were not really being made to draw more foreign viewers. "We don't deliberately make films

to attract foreign audience but if they come we welcome them."

Bachchan, along with the rest of the cast and crew of "Ek Ajnabee", interacted with mediapersons at the Dream hotel in

Manhattan here this week.

The 64-year-old Bollywood superstar plays a man on the path of self-destruction who finds redemption when he is hired to

protect an eight-year-old girl from a kidnapping plot.

Other actors from the film who attended the event were Arjun Rampal and hotelier Vikram Chatwal, who plays the father of

the child. Leading lady Perizaad Zorabian and child artist Rucha Vaidya could not attend the event. The film, which is

scheduled to be released Dec 9, was shot in Bangkok, Thailand.

Apoorva Lakhia, the film's director, introduced the cast, addressing Bachchan as "India's last cowboy."

Lakhia said that he wrote the script with Bachchan in mind. "The difficult part was to ask him to work for us. He said yes

in five minutes but it took two years to get his dates."

He added that the film was based on the Hollywood flick "Man on Fire", but it had been adapted to Indian

sensibilities.

Bachchan said that he was flattered that at "64 you get to play a central character; Indian films don't show such

generosity often." He said Lakhia's experience of working in New York has given him an edge on production control.

He added that the Indian film industry was gradually moving into a phase of planning and accountability. Lakhia, he said,

had a team in place that looked at all aspects of planning which helped him to finish the film in just 40 days.

He also praised the work of his co-stars, including Arjun Rampal, whom he referred to as the "exceedingly good-looking man

sitting next to me."

The superstar was all praise for the child actors he worked with in the recent past, in "Black" and in "Ek Ajnabee".

"Children really surprise you with their natural talent. The girl Ayesha in 'Black' was a real natural. It was her first

time in front of the camera. In fact, when she came for the premiere, she was entering a film theatre for the first time.

"Even Rucha's expressions in this film are of a grown-up person. You think it will be tough to work with children but the

minute the camera comes on, they are altogether different, they know their lines, everything..."

Rampal said he really liked his role in "Ek Ajnabee". " I was sold out 100 percent when I knew it was with Mr. Bachchan

and 200 percent when I read the script. Basically, I didn't have to do much; all I had to do is grow my hair and have tattoos

on."

On the choice of location, Lakhia said he chose Bangkok because he wanted his over-six-foot heroes to stand out and

Thailand offered him that since people aren't very tall in that country.