FICCI Frames: James Murdoch Wants Bollywood To Go Global

“Techinically Slumdog Millionaire is is a British film.  But it was based on an earlier novel by an Indian writer named Vikas Swarup.  The novel imagines the life of a young man from the Mumbai slums who appears on ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’.  The film was set and filmed in India, and went on to dominate the Oscars in Hollywood that year. Still later it was dubbed into Hindi,” said Murdoch, speaking on the inaugural day of the media and entertainment convention, FICCI Frames 2011, in Mumbai.

Murdoch emphasized the need for imagination in the creative process and praised Karan Johan and his film My Name Is Khan.

“There are many more stories just waiting to be told. ‘My Name Is Khan’ is another example. This Bollywood production was a joint venture between an Indian and an American company.  It told the story of a Muslim man in San Francisco and what he experienced after 9/11.  It was produced and directed by a good friend of ours, who kindly introduced me today: Karan Johar. The acclaim it has achieved proves something my father has always said:  no nation has a monopoly on creative content. If you tell a good story, people will respond.”

Murdoch also commented that Aamir Khan’s Lagaan was his favourite film.