With movies like Mission Impossible, Captain America, Ghost Protocol among many others, Hollywood financier AVT Shankardass is one of the top business minds in the world of movies.
With funding of over $200 million dollars in various entertainment projects, the very erudite Shankardass feels that Indian cinema is changing. "Success of recent movies in new markets has shown that the audience outside India is ready for Indian content,” he explained. "India always had a vibrant internal audience so they didn't have to travel outside to showcase their stories. But as the world becomes a smaller place, they are moving out and finding the success. More than ever, their stories are resonating with audiences outside India.”
With Indian actors making a strong presence in Hollywood, the producer of some of the top Hollywood movies noted that this change started a long time ago. However, it is only now that people have started talking about it. “If you ask Steven Spielberg which is the most engaging villainous role he ever got to film or any director did, he will say Amrish Puri in Indiana Jones. He set the benchmark what a villain should be, and we’ve done it again and again. Even behind the scenes we have done well as technicians and writers. it’s inevitable.”
With digital platforms of consuming and distributing content becoming more n more popular, Shankardass maintained that cinema still is the most powerful medium and faces no visible threat from newer platforms. According to him, it is a successful working model, and its strength lies in its ability to connect people.
Punam Sharrma of Connected to India spoke to the very affable movie financier on his recent visit to Singapore.