Thangalaan Actor Daniel Caltagirone Praises Indian Cinema: “… You Are So Close To Superseding Hollywood”

Thangalaan has been receiving enthusiastic reviews and strong fan reactions across South India since its release in theaters there earlier in August. In a recent conversation, Daniel Caltagirone, who plays the role of British Lord Clement, shared his thoughts on making his debut in Indian cinema and the potential for Indian films to surpass Hollywood.

Caltagirone had worked with Indian filmmakers in Hollywood films before Thangalaan marked his debut in Indian cinema. Through this experience, the actor quoted, “Indian cinema is exciting, colorful, fun, and passionate. There is amazing old-school storytelling. It just throws you in, whereas we have lost something in the West.” Emphasizing the negligible gap between Indian cinema and Hollywood, he added, “Indian filmmaking… you are one step away; you are so close to superseding Hollywood. Big Indian stars like Deepika… They are now presenting at the Oscars… This is unreal.”

For potential future projects, Daniel Caltagirone also expressed a desire to work with Thangalaan co-star Chiyaan Vikram, who plays the titular role in the film. Talking about the synergy that they both had while shooting for the film, Caltagirone shared, “We had this crazy understanding. He could be 200 meters away and he would look at me like that… He is one of the few actors in my life who I can trust… I know how exactly he is going to go when he is going to swing a punch at me. We had this trust with each other.”