Ranbir Kapoor has a problem with Bollywood. No, not the films… but the name itself.
During the London promotions for his upcoming film Ramayana, the actor spoke about why he prefers the term ‘Indian cinema’ over Bollywood, a label that has become synonymous with Hindi-language films across the world.
Speaking to ITV, Kapoor explained how the term came about. “It’s just a term used as a derivative of Hollywood. Because it was Bombay at that time, so it became Bollywood, and the Telugu industry became Tollywood, and they had all these different-sounding names,” he said.
‘I would like to be a representative of Indian cinema’
For Kapoor, India is home to several film industries, each with its own language and storytelling traditions.
“I would like to be a representative of Indian cinema. We come from a country where we have different cultures, different languages, different states. But at the end of it, we are all striving to make art,” he said. “And art is something that gets people together. There are no borders in art.”
The actor, who was joined by his Ramayana co-stars Sai Pallavi and Yash during the promotions, also spoke about the growing international appeal of Indian films.
According to Kapoor, the key to reaching audiences across borders lies in staying true to the stories being told, rather than changing them to suit international tastes. “You tell a good, authentic story that is rooted in your culture and tradition, it always speaks to the world,” he said.
Citing films such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Life Is Beautiful, along with the growing popularity of Korean cinema, Kapoor pointed out how culturally rooted stories have found audiences around the world.
“The ambition is that, but you are not blindly just trying to cater to a global audience. You are still trying to be really authentic in your storytelling and culture,” he added.
What we know about ‘Ramayana’
Kapoor’s comments come just ahead of the worldwide release of Ramayana: Part One, which is set to hit UAE cinemas on November 5, in time for the Diwali weekend.
Directed by Dangal filmmaker Nitesh Tiwari and produced by Namit Malhotra, the two-part adaptation of the epic stars Kapoor as Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita and Yash as Ravana. The cast also includes Sunny Deol as Hanuman and Ravie Dubey as Lakshmana.
The film follows the story of Lord Rama, his exile from Ayodhya and his battle against Ravana following Sita’s abduction.
Featuring music by Oscar-winning composers AR Rahman and Hans Zimmer, the film has been mounted as a large-scale international production, with visual effects by DNEG.
UAE audiences will be able to watch the film in multiple languages, including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and English, with IMAX screenings also available.
The second installment is scheduled for release around Diwali 2027.
Source: Khaleej Times
