Filmworld
India, China emotionally, culturally close: Aamir Khan
New Delhi, June 11
The unprecedented global success of Indian entertainer "PK" rides high
on the fact that over a sixth of its Rs.600 crore ($94 million)-plus
earnings have come from China. Superstar Aamir Khan, the film's lead
actor, says it reflects the "historical" love of Chinese audience for
Indian cinema as well as the emotional and cultural bonds they share
with this country.
"PK" hit the jackpot in China soon after the
May 14-16 visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in the presence of whom
Indian film conglomerate Eros International announced key
collaborations with leading Chinese film entities.
The movie,
directed by Rajkumar Hirani, produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra and starring
Aamir - the trio behind the 2009 film "3 Idiots" which also found
resounding success in China - released in the country on May 22. On the
16th day since its release across 4,500 screens, it had reportedly
minted Rs.100 crore. And it's still counting.
"It's really
amazing and very heartening," Aamir, whose films - "PK", "Dhoom: 3" and
"3 Idiots" - are said to occupy the first three spots in Indian cinema's
top five grossers across the world, told IANS in an interview on the
phone from Mumbai.
At 50, it's interesting how the
actor-filmmaker is steering change in Hindi filmdom with entertaining
and comical dramas, laced with pertinent and universally-appealing
social messages delivered in an utmost subtle way.
If "Taare
Zameen Par" brought a tale of a dyslexic child to the fore and "3
Idiots" took a stand on India's education system, "PK", with all its
humour, touches upon - as Global Times, a leading English daily of China
put it - "religion, one of the most solemn and sensitive issues, not
only in India, which has been suffering from longstanding religious
strife, but also in many other countries".
Stressing on the fact
that "a good film made anywhere in the world - whether from India, the
US, China or Japan - just cuts across language, culture...it just
touches your heart", Aamir said: "It is very generous of the Chinese
audience and media there to wholeheartedly embrace 'PK'."
On his
debut visit to China last month for his movie's premiere, which was also
attended by globally-popular star Jackie Chan, Aamir realised how
"people there have historically loved Indian films".
"When we
were there in China, everybody was talking about Raj Kapoor, 'Awara',
'Caravan' (which happens to be my father's film)...these films were
being mentioned even today and they were being remembered very fondly.
"I
think the people of China and India seem to have a connect, which is
emotional, cultural, and they are quite similar people. We are quite
close emotionally and culturally," said the actor, who has regaled
audiences since over 25 years.
He also came face-to-face with
people in China who "had seen not just '3 Idiots' but also 'Dhoom: 3',
'Ghajini', 'Taare Zameen Par' and 'Lagaan', which perhaps have not even
released there". This, to him, came as a pleasant surprise as it meant
audiences there "are searching out for our films" and finding "them on
the internet or wherever they have got their hands on it".
"They
are an active audience. And the success of 'PK' is to the credit of
China and the audience there that they are so welcoming of films from
different parts the world. That's something we need to learn from them,"
Aamir pointed out - much as the English daily indicated how Chinese
filmmakers could "learn from 'PK' about how to tell a bright and
thought-provoking comedy in an artistic way without necessarily being
too cynical".
(Radhika Bhirani can be contacted at [email protected])