Actor Ranbir Kapoor has said he prefers to be identified as a representative of Indian cinema rather than a Bollywood star, arguing that the term ‘Bollywood’ derives from Hollywood and fails to reflect the diversity of India’s film industries.
Speaking to British broadcaster ITV during a recent visit to London, where he was promoting his upcoming film ‘Ramayana’ alongside co-stars Sai Pallavi and Yash, Ranbir explained why he was uncomfortable with the umbrella term.
“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,” he said.
Ranbir said he wanted to represent the broader landscape of Indian cinema, which encompasses different languages, cultures and regional film industries.
“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,” he said.
The actor added that authentic storytelling rooted in local culture and tradition could resonate with audiences worldwide without filmmakers having to compromise their identity to appeal to a global market.
“There are no borders in art,” Ranbir said, citing films such as ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ and ‘Life Is Beautiful’, alongside Korean cinema, as examples of culturally rooted storytelling that has reached international audiences.
His remarks come as Indian films continue to reach audiences across borders, highlighting the range of languages and cinematic traditions that extend beyond Hindi-language cinema.
