Indian talent has potential to entertain the world: Aamir Khan

Dec 14, 2016 IANS

New Delhi: Actor Aamir Khan has welcomed the trend of Indian actors heading to the West for work, saying "Indian talent has the potential to entertain the world".

At a time when Indians like Priyanka Chopra ("Quantico" and "Baywatch") and Deepika Padukone ("xXx: The Return of Xander Cage") are making its presence felt in Hollywood, Aamir says he will only head to the West if the project excites him. Till then, he is "more excited doing Indian films", he said in an interview with Hollywood Reporter.

Of his own potential international foray, Aamir said that in the past he has "received many offers from Hollywood but I didn't find any of them exciting in terms of script and character".

"For me, to do any film, the material has to excite me and which part of the world it comes from is not relevant. When I do find something that I like (from outside India), I will be happy to do it. At the moment, I am more excited doing Indian films because I have an emotional connect with my audience which has been built over the last 25-30 years," Aamir said.

On the film front, Aamir is looking forward to the release of wrestling drama "Dangal", which will open in North American theatres first on December 21, two days ahead of its release in India and other countries.

"Dangal", directed by Nitesh Tiwari, is based on the real-life story of ex-wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat (played by Aamir) who was forced to give up his dream of competing in international competition due to financial constraints. But in a twist of fate, he fulfilled his ambition by training two of his four daughters into world-class wrestlers, while challenging the norms in rural India's strict patriarchal society.

Aamir told hollywoodreporter.com that "Dangal" is "a very human story of courage and believing in yourself and your daughters".

He also believes the film "can connect with audiences across cultures and from different parts of the world. It is for the family".

The film also touches upon the more serious issue of female empowerment.

Aamir, known for his involvement with various social causes, pointed out that despite the odds, things are changing.

"'Dangal' will have a very positive effect. When there is a particular mindset in Indian society which has been around for centuries, it won't change overnight but every attempt to look at things differently has its own impact and in that sense 'Dangal' will have its own role to play in taking the issue (of female empowerment) forward," he said.

As well as its early opening in North America, "Dangal" will get the widest release ever for an Indian film in the US and Canada, opening across 350 screens.