India-Pakistan war and romance have always been sensitive issues for film-makers in both the countries.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
Movies are a big part of our Indian culture.
In India, the films are not looked upon just as entertainment. They're a way of life.
There is a ban on Indian films in Pakistan, so that's half of our market gone.
A lot of people in India are not that into non-Indian films or Western films.
In India, film sets are like a family atmosphere.
Indian cinema needs all ingredients like emotion, action, sentiment and humour; it's not easy. It's easy to make a Hollywood film, as it goes with a pattern. Our cinema needs a lot of commercial ingredients. That's why I don't do many films.
Western films don't do very well in India.
The demand in India is to have a hit, which becomes a promotion for the movie and makes people come to the theater. You have five songs and different promotions based on those. But when I do Western films, the need for originality is greater. Then I become very conscious about the writing.
Playing a prisoner of war trapped in Pakistan for three years was a novelty for me. We made sure that we didn't talk about India versus Pakistan but about the emotions of people on both sides and how terrorism affects us all.
Movies are becoming more global, which is making them less intimate. If you make a movie for the world, you don't make it for any country.