'Bollywood surviving due to lack of alternative'

Derek Malcolm said Indian filmmakers need to hone scriptwriting skills and tell a more arresting story in a technically skillful manner.

With the foray of international films into the Indian market, Bollywood may find it difficult to retain the educated and urbane audience, according to British film critic Derek Malcolm.

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"There is a growing number of educated Indians, who do not want to watch Bollywood. But due to lack of an alternative, they watch the masala films," he said in Panaji on Monday.

However, if cinema houses across India show good cinema and international films, soon the loyalty, currently commanded by Bollywood, could change, tipping the economic applecart, he said.

Lamenting that there has been a dearth of good Indian cinema in the last two decades, Derek said there has been a huge void (of good directors) in the Indian cinema circuit after stalwarts like Raj Kapoor and Satyajit Ray.

"However, I expect to see the rise of a visionary like them, who would make a path-breaking film, introduce a new trend that will be followed by others," Derek, who has been visiting India for the past three decades and studying Indian films, said.

Dismissing the feeling that India had been unable to make it to the international market because the Western audience did not understand its culture, he said, "If Chinese, Taiwanese and Iranian films can make it to the international market without compromising their culture, why not India?"

Indian filmmakers need to brush their scriptwriting skills, tell a more arresting story in a technically skillful manner, if they aspire for the Oscars or other international awards, he said.