Indian stars will be truly global soon: Shah Rukh Khan

With younger Indian filmmakers exposed to western cinema and western culture making different types of films, Indian stars will be truly global, “much sooner than anyone would expect”, says Bollywood’s superstar Shah Rukh Khan.

“The younger filmmakers, I think are completely new-thinking people. They have learned the technique and technology, and writing from the western world,” Shah Rukh told CNN in an interview telecast here Sunday.

Youth “in our country now is also understanding different kind of cinema, because they’re also exposed to because of television, Internet,” he said. “So, they’re like, OK, we can compare.

“And somehow Indians at this juncture feel, you know what? To be really proud, we need to make films which make a mark in the world,” Shah Rukh said.

Asked if he imagined there maybe a time when Indian stars will be truly global, he said: “Much sooner than anyone would expect, most certainly” even though “all the main standard in the world becomes how much dollar value that finally the business brings, and that’s how you’re big.”

“But I can see it happening in the next five or six years, very easily,” Shah Rukh Khan said seeing the use of Hindi language in Indian films as another problem giving Hollywood “a big advantage” as they speak in English.

“But the time is coming now, because …if you see a new Indian film, you’ll realise that the language is more ‘Hinglish’” he said referring to the use of liberal use of English terms in Hindi films.

“You know, we’re using, and we don’t have to translate it anymore, everyone understands it. And everyone uses it every day.”

Shah Rukh also agreed India may soon be able to present its own world cinema. “Absolutely,” he said noting that with globalisation “the language as a barrier will start breaking down. Culture as a barrier will start breaking down.”

“So, all that will break down and other cinemas will come over, will come, and they’ll use the technology and a lot of technicians from here,” he said.

“But stories, every country has a story to tell. And once it reaches a certain standard in terms of technique, I think the world would like to watch it.”