Bollywood
should make more 'socially conscious films', says Om
Puri
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[September 14, 2016]
By Serena Chaudhry
LONDON (Reuters) - The
Indian film industry needs to break out of its mould and
produce more hard-hitting films that challenge its
audience, veteran actor Om Puri said.
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Puri, who has acted in both Hollywood and Bollywood and was
awarded an OBE (Order of the British Empire), said Indian
filmmakers should draw on the country's rich culture and
history.
"We always say we give people what they want. That shouldn't be
the attitude. Then why don't you give your child what he wants,"
Puri told Reuters in an interview.
"Similarly, your audience, if you think that you need to develop
their taste, then give them something that is tasteful."
Puri has over four decades of experience acting in television,
theater and film and was one of the first actors to cross-over
into the West. Some of his notable movies include "East is East"
and "The One Hundred-Foot Journey" in which he starred with
Oscar winner Helen Mirren.
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The actor, who comes from a modest background in Punjab and says
he is a self-made man, is now also breaking barriers by acting
in a Pakistani film. Puri plays the lawyer father of the
protagonist in "Actor in Law", a movie which explores social
issues like corruption and gender discrimination.
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Unlike Bollywood, filmmakers for the Pakistani film industry work
with much smaller budgets and are still trying to make a bigger
impact on the international arena.
Few Pakistani films have been shown in India, although Puri said he
was going to try his best to get "Actor in Law" distributed there,
particularly because it would enable filmmakers to producer bigger
budget films.
Puri, who has also acted in several films examining religious
extremism like "The Reluctant Fundamentalist", said he hoped playing
such roles would help in changing the mindsets of people who are
being drawn to terrorism especially in today's world.
"I keep requesting to those people that listen, we have such a great
planet," he said. "We've got everything. There's nothing you're
going to achieve through bloodshed."
(Reporting By Serena Chaudhry; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
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