Ranbir Kapoor tells Western media he doesn't like the term Bollywood as it derives from Hollywood, wants to be a 'representative of Indian cinema'

Ranbir Kapoor said he prefers the term Indian cinema instead of Bollywood and spoke about the diversity that exists in various Indian film industries.

Actor Ranbir Kapoor has made his stance clear on the use of the term ‘Bollywood’ to describe Hindi cinema, or sometimes all of Indian cinema. In an interview with a British media outlet, Ranbir agreed he was not a fan of the term and would prefer to be known as an Indian actor rather than a Bollywood star.

Not Bollywood, but Indian cinema

Ranbir Kapoor spoke about not liking the term Bollywood. (AFP)

Ranbir is promoting his upcoming film, Ramayana, for which he was recently in London along with castmates Sai Pallavi and Yash. There, the actor spoke to ITV where the host asked him why he was not a fan of the ‘umbrella term Bollywood’ used to describe Indian films. Ranbir responded, “I think it's just a term used as a derivative of Hollywood. Because it was Bombay at that time, so it became Bollywood, and the Telugu industry became Tollywood, and they had all these different-sounding names.”

The actor clarified that he would want to be known as someone from Indian cinema instead. “I would like to be a representative of Indian cinema. We come from a country where we have different cultures, different languages, different states. But at the end of it, we are all striving to make art. And art is something that gets people together. There are no borders in art. You tell a good, authentic story that is rooted in your culture and tradition; it always speaks to the world. We have seen that with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, with films from Korea, and with Life Is Beautiful. The ambition is that, but you are not blindly just trying to cater to a global audience. You are still trying to be really authentic in your storytelling and culture,” added Ranbir.

About Ramayana

Sony Pictures will handle global distribution, excluding India, while Dharma Productions will distribute the film in the Hindi-speaking market. The film is also planned for a worldwide IMAX release.