David Lagachu
10. Shekhar Kapur
Alright, he has already made his mark in Hollywood with the ‘Elizabeth’ film series which made Cate Blanchett a star. However since then the going for him has been anything but smooth. His television ventures like ‘Damien’ and ‘Will’ met with mixed reactions with the former being cancelled after one season. His ambitious project ‘Paani’ has also been stuck for quite some time now. The thing is Mr. Kapur clearly deserves better and bigger opportunities than he has been getting post the Oscar nominated ‘Elizabeth’ franchise. He clearly has the talent and a deep understanding of cinema to create something magical on-screen and it looks like now is the right time for him to strike back when the topic of diversity and equal opportunity is buzzing all over Hollywood.
9. Aamir Khan
Aamir Khan is arguably the finest actor of this generation. His marketing strategies are legendary and his star power unmatched. Not many actors can say that they have starred in movies that hold the record for being the highest grossing Indian film worldwide (‘Dangal’) and have been nominated for an Academy award (‘Lagaan’). Even though Aamir had donned the cap of director only once in his career for his passion project ‘Taare Zameen Par’ it was enough to give us an idea of his competence and capability as a filmmaker of merit. His films deserve a larger audience and working in Hollywood would make his job easier as far as wider exposure is concerned. One can find the perfect combination of entertainment and social message in his films that are timely, non judgemental and non preachy. He also knows how to sell his films and present them in an entertaining manner and it is only a matter of time before Aamir make a dream collaboration with Hollywood.
8. Vishal Bhardwaj
Bhardwaj is primarily known for adapting the Shakespearean tragedies into full blown mainstream Bollywood films. ‘Haider’ (Hamlet), ‘Omkara’ (Othello) and ‘Maqbool’ (Macbeth) are today considered classics of Indian cinema. His films have been regularly screened at various international film festivals and have also picked up a few awards along the way. For instance ‘Haider’ picked up the people’s choice award at the Rome Film Festival in 2014. Hollywood should hire Vishal Bhardwaj because come what may he never compromises with the quality of his work. He knows exactly which star-actor to cast for his characters and although none of his films have proved to be huge hits at the box office, moving to Hollywood might just do the trick for him.
7. Mani Ratnam
Many fans and certified film critics consider him to be the finest filmmaker of the country. He began his journey as a director 34 years ago with the Kannada film ‘Pallavi Anu Pallavi’ which was a critical success and starred a lesser known Anil Kapoor. With films like ‘Roja’, ‘Bombay’ and ‘Nayagan’ he became a favourite of the masses and the classes and thus established himself as one of the leaders of contemporary Indian cinema. He is one of the few directors to achieve success in both Bollywood and in the South Indian film industry. In 2010 he was awarded the Jaeger-LeCoultre Glory to the Filmmaker Award at the prestigious Venice Film Festival where his film ‘Ravanan’ also received a special screening. If he ever crosses over to the West it would only mean that the scent of the Indian soil will be spread far and wide as his films are totally Indian at soul and it would be an enriching experience for his new viewers.
6. Rakeysh Omprakaksh Mehra
Rakeysh Omprakaksh Mehra’s ultimate claim to fame ‘Rang De Basanti’ was nothing short of a revolution and perhaps the most relatable film of the last decade. It was nominated for a BAFTA award in the category of ‘Best Film Not in the English Language’ and it was significant as no lobbying or campaigning takes place for the BAFTAs unlike the Academy awards. He got further acclaim with ‘Delhi-6’ and ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’ and his last release ‘Mirzya’ was screened at the London Film Festival. Mehra is known for making historically significant films with a modern twist of his own. ‘Rang De Basanti’ dealt with modern day patriotism, ‘Delhi-6’ talked about unity in diversity and ‘Mirzya’ retold the classic love story of Mirza-Sahiban and the story unfolded as a poetry in motion. The music in his films is exceptionally good as they act as a carrier which takes the story forward. With bigger budgets in Hollywood Mehra can make larger than life blockbuster epics. May be he can even make his own version of ‘Dunkirk’ from the point of view of Indian soldiers.
