Mumbai: Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur said Tuesday that India has to use cinema as a soft power if it has to win the ‘minds and hearts of the future generations’ globally. Shekhar Kapur is known for movies like Masoom, Mr India and Bandit Queen. He said India and China are two nations which can cultivate their soft power to become ‘major influencers in the world’.
“There was a time during my youth when I aspired to become like Americans. This was only due to the influence of American media. Now it is our turn. Asia is rising and India and China are two nations who can cultivate their soft power to become major influencers in the world. China is already making all out efforts to achieve that,” the 76-year-old director said.
Kapur was speaking at the inauguration of a national seminar, titled ‘Indian Cinema and Soft Power’. It was organised by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (lCCR).
Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and ICCR President Vinay Sahasrabuddhe also graced the function, which was held at Raj Bhavan.
Kapur stressed the need for technological upgradation and said the industry must find newer ways to tell stories. “We need to think of telling our stories through popular media like gaming using the latest technologies. I would like to see games featuring Indian characters in Indian costumes,” Kapur informed.
On the work front, Kapur is looking forward to the release of his next directorial What’s Love Got to Do With It? The firm stars Lily James, Emma Thompson, Sajal Ali, Shazad Latif, Rob Brydon and Shabana Azmi among others. He will also helm the series adaptation of author Amish Tripathi’s critically-acclaimed book series Shiva Trilogy.