Jonathan Nolan says Bollywood has 'fearlessness, ambition' that Hollywood lacks: 'That is very exciting' | Interview

Jonathan Nolan speaks to HT about his impressions of Indian cinema and what makes it stand out against Hollywood.

Published on: Dec 17, 2025, 06:06:27 IST

By Abhimanyu Mathur

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When Jonathan Nolan last visited India in 2024, he immediately became everyone’s favourite international filmmaker as he called Bollywood ‘bigger than’ Hollywood. As he prepares for the release of the second season of his acclaimed series Fallout, Nolan spoke to Hindustan Times about Indian cinema’s place in the global milieu and what edge it has over Hollywood.

Jonathan Nolan is all praise for Indian cinema.

Jonathan Nolan on Indian cinema

Nolan attended the Asia premiere of Fallout season 2 in Tokyo this week, where HT reminded him of his statement from last year. When asked what gives Bollywood an edge over Hollywood, the writer-director says, “I think it's very clear, and you sort of started to see the global fascination with Indian filmmaking. It is fearless in those ways at its best. Hollywood can be, too. But (in India), there's a level of ambition that is very exciting.”

‘We watch Miyazaki at home’

Jonathan admits that writing and filming Fallout leaves him with very little time to discover new titles in Indian cinema, something he badly wants to. “Unfortunately, given the schedule of making television means you often don't have a lot of time to watch any television or film. The media diet in my house is still largely decided by my two lovely kids, who are still going through a Miyazaki phase. So there are a lot of Miyazaki films (in the house). But yes, I am lucky to be working as hard as we have, but when we finally get a break, I'm looking forward to watching (more Indian films).

Jonathan Nolan with Ella Purnell, the star of Fallout.

About Fallout season 2

For now, the filmmaker is looking forward to the release of Fallout season 2, which reunites the original cast, including Ella Purnell, Aaron Moten, Kyle MacLachlan, Moisés Arias, Xelia Mendes-Jones, and Walton Goggins. The first episode will premiere on Prime Video on December 17, with the remaining episodes released weekly through February 4, 2026.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Abhimanyu Mathur
Abhimanyu Mathur is Deputy Editor, Entertainment at Hindustan Times. With almost 15 years of experience in writing about everything from films and TV shows to cricket matches and elections, he inhales and exhales pop culture and news. Currently, he watches movies and TV shows and talks to celebrities for a living, while occasionally writing about them as well. A journalism graduate of Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, Delhi University, Abhimanyu began his career with Hindustan Times at the age of 20, swapping classrooms for newsrooms at an early age. He began his journey in the early days of digital journalism, later switching to the madness of print journalism. Work has led him to far off places like Japan and Jordan, as well as to the interiors of Haryana and the Indo-Pak border. He dabbled in city reporting in places like Meerut, Gurgaon, and Delhi, covered the Olympics and Cricket World Cups, before finding his calling in entertainment and lifestyle during the pandemic. A Rotten Tomatoes Certified Film Critic, he is equally at home covering stories on ground as he is interviewing celebrities and studios, and sometimes prefers to shepherd teams in delivering traffic through the day. Even as his role has evolved from reporter to supervisor over the years, his first love remains writing (and of late, talking on camera). With a good understanding of cinema and its trends, and a keen eye for detail, he continues to spark conversations around showbiz for readers around the world.Read More

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