12 executive summary theibcdaily Spotlight on India
“There needs to be greater gender equality in society and also on the film set”
Bollywood icon I
Amitabh Bachchan
Actor Region: India
Interview by Ann-Marie Corvin
BC presented its prestigious Judges’ Prize to Bollywood superstar and TV personality Amitabh Bachchan, both in celebration of Indian Cinema, which is celebrating
its 100th year, and in recognition of Bachchan’s unparalleled contribution to the industry. “I accept this very humbly on
behalf of the Indian film industry of which I am only a small part,” said the Sholay star who has featured in more than 180 movies. “Cinema was not such an
important entity as far as our society was concerned 70 years ago,” Bachchan observes. “People from good homes could not bring themselves to be associated with it. And now to find myself here – an Indian actor at an international conference – is indicative of the growth that Indian cinema has seen.” Bachchan says that the West
must realise that these films are made to please the common
man who earns between eight and ten rupees a day and does not want to see the squalor of his own life reflected on film. However, Bachchan – also
host of the Indian version of Who Wants To Be a Millionaire with a 250 million audience – acknowledged that a growing middle class and India’s huge 18-35 demographic were the main cultural influencers: “They are pushing us with ideas and thoughts that needs to be catered for. This generation wants something different,” he says. Bachchan’s career has also
brought him to Hollywood, working on Baz Luhrmann’s version of The Great Gatsby, which he described as “not any kind of deliberate career move, more of a friendly gesture to Baz.” He adds: “The attention to
detail, the discipline and the research was incredible. There was a line in the book about this character who was in the ‘Skull and Bones Club’ at college.
And so they lined the inside of his jacket with skull and bones – you would hardly notice it on screen but it just puts you into that atmosphere, and into that mood.” The 72-year old is also
UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. “There needs to be greater equality in society between men and women and also on the film set,” he says. “Films are still primarily made where the male is the dominant action hero. India has made films where a female character has been dominant but what is really interesting is how many women are now working behind the camera. “In the 1960s when I began,
the only lady on set was the mother of the leading lady or a hairdresser, but if you come on to a set in Mumbai today then 80% of the workforce are women doing every kind of role that previously only men did, from cinematography to production to ADs. And that’s fantastic.”
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