Indian impressions

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan "running around in his glasses and beating up bad guys" long stayed with Tom Hanks and defined the world of Indian cinema for him. The Oscar-winning actor says the vast expanse of Indian cinema and different storytelling techniques still remain a mystery for the West, with only Bollywood making inroads abroad.

"For a lot of years, Indian movies for us were Big B running around in his glasses and beating up bad guys or midgets and stuff like that. We didn't quite understand what was going on. If everyone starts speaking the common language of cinema, it will start representing itself," said Hanks.

The actor said "it is only a matter of time" till the varied Indian stories spin their way to the West.

"Like the cinema from Japan and China have impacted the entire cinematic narrative of the West like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon by Ang Lee. Those guys are working in American films now. The fact is that we have not just been able to see films outside of Bollywood for whatever reason, or outside Satyajit Ray's films.

"But it is only a matter of time because people in the United States see everything...All you have to do is be available," he added.

Hanks has worked with Indian star Irrfan Khan in his forthcoming Sony Pictures Entertainment's film Inferno. And he says he is open to attaching his star power to any Indian project, but would not do it "just to break into the marketplace". But Hanks will not be seen as a super spy climbing on the roof of Taj Mahal, he'd rather do a film on "stereotypes of public life in India". —IANS