For Tom Hanks, Indian Films Were About Big B Beating Up Bad Guys

The star would love to work in Bollywood but not “climb on the roof of the Taj Mahal” or perform other stunts.

Actor Tom Hanks at the premiere of his upcoming movie Inferno in Berlin (Photo Courtesy: AP)

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,” Hanks told IANS in an interview here.

“India’s Film Industry is a Dream Come True”

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 with his ‘Inferno’ team (Photo Courtesy: AP)

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 or doing stunts on helicopters – he’d rather do a film on “stereotypes of public life in India”.

After presenting a visual treat with Sully this year, Hanks will be back on the silver screen with Ron Howard's Inferno, which will open in India on 14 October.

The two-time Oscar-winning star, who is amazed by the bold filming technique in India, said: "The industry in India is sort of like a dream come true. They make a lot of movies, people go to a lot of movies, and there is insatiable appetite for it... I was always amazed at just how dense they were and how they cover more than one genre."