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' | Bollywood
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.
Ranbir Kapoor spoke about not liking the term Bollywood. (AFP)Not Bollywood, but Indian cinemaRanbir 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.
Ranbir is currently awaiting the release of Ramayana, the most expensive Indian film ever made. Produced by Namit Malhotra’s Prime Focus Studios in collaboration with DNEG and Yash’s Monster Mind Creations, Ramayana is planned as a two-part film. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Yash as Ravana, Ravie Dubey as Lakshman, and Sunny Deol as Lord Hanuman. The first part is scheduled for worldwide release on November 5, 2026, while the second part is set for Diwali 2027. The films will release in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam across India.
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.
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
