The globally acclaimed Iranian director, Majid Majidi is all set to come with the first Hindi film ‘Beyond the clouds’ which talks about human values and humanity. In an interview, he revealed his idea behind shooting in India and his take on Indian Cinema.

What is about India that struck you to make a film here?

I always wanted to make a film which would capture the Indian culture. I always take stories from societies. And India is a dramatic country with dramatic locations. One can learn something unique from the different cultures that India has to offer. And Mumbai is full of diversity and very exciting. The streets of Mumbai are full of stories.

We have seen that only a few numbers of Indian films make it to the International film festivals. Why do you think that the Indian films fall shot on universal platforms?

When we speak of global, the films need to come to from the root of your country and culture. Even when we speak of Indian song and dance we all know how rich it is. But because contemporary Indian dance and music the root culture is falling behind. If they keep the alive the local culture, of course, they could make more films to make it to the global platform. You can take look at the films of Satyajit Ray. Those films are still alive because of the raw deep-rooted culture in those films.

Recently the independent cinema has been making waves in the world of entertainment. They are finding more opportunities in festivals than the big banner mainstream films. What’s your take on that?

The film is a mixed art which should be connected with the audience. It is a part of the industry, not a private art. For me being independent in cinema is just not lying to your audience, not just to entertain your audience. But also inform your audience and gift something to your audience through your story. But nowadays in the digital area, I can shoot a film with just my camera but it doesn’t mean independent cinema. For me independent cinema is when you realize that the diversity of your country is vanishing because the mainstream cinema is taking the stage then you pick up your camera, go outside and shoot the reality and bring it to the audience.

Do you think in Indian film Industry, films like Beyond the Clouds gets overlooked because of the glitz and glamour of the Bollywood?

When I talk to high profile Bollywood directors I feel that even they don’t like these kinds of cinema but they are bound to make these kinds of films because that will make them feel to go out of the border. The audience is like a child. He/she gets used to one taste and doesn’t like the other. That’s why the commercial films are in the high range. Many people after the screening said to me that it is a nice film but the ending could have been a happy one. I said that it is not a Bollywood film but a different one. See that’s how people are used to that taste. But if you want to change the taste scenario, you have started working towards it from the root. The media, intellectuals, critics will come and love this film but I want you to encourage the common people to come and watch this film so that they take something back home from this film.