Western cinema, as British actor Daniel Caltagirone sees it, is "dying", and Indians films are on the verge of supplanting Hollywood, which seems to have lost its way in the surge of streamers.
The actor plays the antagonist Lord Clement in Pa Ranjith's Tamil period drama "Thangalaan", fronted by Vikram in the title role.
Caltagirone, whose Hollywood film credits include the Oscar winning title "The Pianist", "Legionnaire", "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life", and "The Fall", said he feels "privileged" to make his Indian cinema debut at a time when stars like Deepika Padukone are presenting at the Academy Awards.
"There is a shift. Western cinema is dying... Something is happening, I don't know what it is. I don't know if it is because of streaming, but I urge people to not abandon cinema... Indian cinema is having an effect globally...
"Indian cinema is exciting, colourful, fun, and passionate. There is amazing old-school storytelling. It just throws you in whereas we have lost something in the West. It's become dull, it's become sort of too self-reflective. Indian filmmaking... You are one step away, you are so close to superseding Hollywood. Big Indian stars like Deepika... They are now presenting at the Oscars... This is unreal," he told PTI in an interview.
This is not his first time working with an Indian filmmaker.
He previously worked with filmmaker Shekhar Kapur in 2002's "The Four Feathers" and India-born American director Tarsem Singh in 2006's "The Fall".
Calling Ranjith, known for hard-hitting social dramas like "Madras", "Kaala" and "Sarpatta Parambarai", a social commentator, Caltagirone said his education about Indian cinema is "just starting".
Asked if there was any Indian director he would like to work with, the actor said he wouldn't mind working with "RRR" filmmaker SS Rajamouli.
"If S S Rajamouli decides he is going to do something different in terms of the British representation..." he said, referring to the cliched bad guy roles for the British characters in "RRR".
When it comes to potential co-stars, Caltagirone said he would like to reunite with his "Thangalaan" colleague Vikram.
"We had this crazy understanding (on set). He could be 200 meters away and he would look at me like that (and I would know what to do)... He is one of the few actors in my life who I can trust... I know how exactly he is going to go when he is going to swing a punch at me. We had this trust with each other," he added.
After its worldwide release on August 15, "Thangalaan" is set for its North Indian premiere in Hindi on September 6. It also stars Malavika Mohanan and Parvathy Thiruvothu.
