MUMBAI, Aug 7: Actor Irrfan Khan, who has made his presence felt in Hollywood with some big projects, feels the time has come when Indian films and filmmakers start inspiring the world with their talent and stories.
“We keep looking to Hollywood cinema for inspirations. But I feel, it is time that we start inspiring them as we have great stories and talented people here,” Irrfan told reporters here at the DVD launch of Ritesh Batra’s ‘The Lunchbox’, last evening.
The 47-year-old actor said he was happy for his ‘The Lunchbox’ co-star Nimrat Kaur, who will feature in American TV series ‘Homeland’.
“I have come to know that Nimrat is doing ‘Homeland’, it is a great achievement. When you go to other countries, the working atmosphere.. The set up is different from what we do here. It is altogether a different experience,” he said.
While the National Award-winning actor has carved a niche for himself in Hindi film industry, he managed to get noticed globally with his performances in films like ‘A Mighty Heart’, ‘The Namesake’, ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ and ‘Life of Pi’.
Irrfan’s next Hollywood venture is the fourth installment of the hit ‘Jurassic Park’ franchise, titled ‘Jurassic World’.
“I have just completed ‘Jurassic World’. Other actors (Indian) getting more opportunities there (Hollywood), it is a sign of growth for our industry,” he said.
He will be seen next with actress Kangana Ranaut in director Sai Kabir’s next ‘Divine Lovers’.
Meanwhile, when asked if an actor like him benefits by working with a superstar like Shah Rukh Khan (in 2009 film ‘Billu’), Irrfan said, “My experience working with him was good. He had clarity on how the film will be made and positioned. He treated that film as his own film even though he was not playing the lead role.”
On reports of ‘The Lunchbox’ doing equally good business overseas, just as a Shah Rukh Khan film, the ‘Paan Singh Tomar’ actor said films are not just about box office collection but engaging the audience.
He said ‘The Lunchbox’ engaged and entertained foreigners as an Indian film, which was great.
The entire team of ‘The Lunchbox’ including Nimrat Kaur, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and director Ritesh Batra were also present at the event.
Meanwhile, Nawazzuddin Siddiqui, who essayed the villain’s role in Salman Khan starrer ‘Kick’ said he was elated with the movie doing Rs 200 crore business and hoped success of ‘Kick’ will benefit his other films. (PTI)
Follow our WhatsApp channel