Bollywood requires a change from item number image overseas, Irrfan Khan says

Actor Irrfan Khan has expressed his concern that a universal language should be the focus of our Hindi film industry to change the international perception that Bollywood is synonymous with “item number”. The actor recently made it to the headlines for his highly acclaimed performance in The Lunchbox.

According to Irrfan, "We cannot continue being known as item number filmmakers. Bollywood is known as an item number, and we have to change that. We have to connect with a universal audience in a way that they think that there is some interesting kind of cinema coming out of India.”The 46-year-old actor, who never hankers after the typical superstar image in Bollywood due to his immense talent, also added, "We need to find a universal language, which I think 'Qissa' will be able to strike a chord with, and 'The Lunchbox' has done in a big way.”The actor is quite familiar with the international concept of cinema as, through his work, he has been a well-established name across the globe and his movies always seem like a fresh air free from unnecessary song sequences and peppy numbers. He has secured his niche in the world of cinema through his performances in The Namesake, Slumdog Millionaire, Life of Pi, Maqbool and Paan Singh Tomar, to mention a few.

His upcoming film, Qissa, has been screened at the 7th Abu Dhabi Film Festival (ADFF) and it also looks like recreating the magic of his films. Qissa is not at all a light hearted drama, rather, as told by Irrfan, "It is meant to shake you, not please you". Irrfan, who believes that all credits for any good film should go to its director or producer, also said, "We need to find a way of telling stories where a universal audience finds itself engaged in the storytelling. That's one thing we need to do, and that's one thing we have not been doing.”"There are new directors who are trying to tackle subjects which weren't dealt with earlier. 'Madras Cafe' is an example because we don't make political films, but that's a well-made movie," he added. Irrfan also said that Indian filmmakers should change their perception about movies to make it to the Oscars. He said, "You can't make a film and sit in your room and watch it. You have to change the perception about Indian cinema when you go to universal audience, and what better way to say that your film is universally accepted than (be at the) Oscar?”He concluded saying, "As a filmmaker and as an industry, we need to establish our presence in bigger markets. That's what Hollywood is doing in India, and that's what we need to do in the rest of the world.”