Cinema keeps us close to our language: Vijay Deverakonda

DIANA FERNANDES

Actors Kareena Kapoor Khan and Vijay Deverakonda shared their thoughts and views on Indian cinema at a session titled ‘Cinema: The Soft Power’ moderated by filmmaker and producer Karan Johar at the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES), Mumbai.

Deverakonda who has made a name for himself in the South Indian film industry said, “We need to expand our kingdom. The fact that we are conversing in English is a power for the West. Even if my film is dubbed in English, it does a hundred times better than the original. It’s not my fault, but it was those that spread the English language. If our ancestors were more proactive to take measures to make sure the world speaks Hindi or Telegu we would all have a different outcome. Cinema is one thing that keeps us close to
our language.”

Sharing her experience of the power of cinema, Kareena said she was surprised when Steven Speilberg at a restaurant many years ago, recognised her as the actor in the film ‘3 Idiots’. When asked of one film she would promote on the global stage, she said her choice was ‘Jab We Met’ since it embodied the expression of youth, women empowerment and self expression. Johar said he would promote the film ‘Kagaz Ke Phol’.

Deverakonda also suggested bringing together superstars of both Hollywood and South Indian stars for a film saying it would be a super hit.