"All this while they (people in the west) had a notion that only meaningless films with lot of dance and drama were made in India. To some extent that is true but in the last couple of years different kind of films have come out. They are now realising that good cinema is being made in India. They like our films because we make completely different movies," actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui told PTI.
On what can be done to improve the image of Indian cinema, he said, "I am hoping that filmmakers continue to make more films like `Kahaani`, `Paan Singh Tomar` and `Gangs Of Wasseypur` to name a few. We have some young and talented directors whose choice of filmmaking and subjects are different."
"We also have an actor like Aamir Khan who can make `Lagaan` and at the same time he makes a film like `Peepli Live` which is a big contribution to Indian cinema," he said. Excited over three of his films getting an excellent response at the 65th Cannes Film Festival, Siddiqui feels blessed.
Directed by Anurag Kashyap, `Gangs Of Wasseypur` is a two part revenge drama film, set up in a small town in Jharkhand. `Miss Lovely` is drama film directed by Ashim Ahluwalia and is about a C-grade film director, who falls in love with a struggling actress.
"I feel blessed and lucky that three of my films - `Gangs Of Wasseypur` part one and two and `Miss Lovely` were screened at Cannes. I don`t think any other Indian actor has so far achieved this feat. Inspite of the language barrier, the response to both the films was remarkable. I was surprised that the audience in Cannes connected with all my films," Siddiqui said.
Despite it being an almost six-hour film, `Gangs Of Wasseypur` was loved by people, he said, adding that audience felt that `Miss Lovely` was a film that came from India but had an international feel to it. "It was a moment of prestige and pride. It was surely a moment that I will cherish all my life," he added.