When Om Puri Opened Up About One Department Where Indian Cinema Is Better Than Hollywood

Late acting legend Om Puri was one of the rare Bollywood actors who achieved popularity in the west as well. The actor’s first big Hollywood film was City of Joy, where he co-star with Dirty Dancing star Patrick Swayze. In a 30 year old interview, Om Puri spoke about his experience of working in American films, and that experience differs from his times working in Hindi movies.

No western filmmaker can make a Sholay with such limited resources: Om Puri

Talking about the differences between Hindi film industry and Hollywood, Puri noted, “The atmosphere of our film-making industry is not that discipline where artists can give their best work in their process. There are only a handful of filmmakers like Subhash Ghai, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Ramesh Sippy as exception. While we make 700-800 films a year, only around 25 films are made in a way that you could call slick, professional filmmaking.”

However, Puri took note of one aspect in which Indian technicians outdo their western counterparts by a mile. He added, “The way Govind Nihlani made Tamas, or Ramesh Sippy made Sholay, no western director can make a film of that standard with that kind of resources.”

Our technicians are adept at improvising, Om Puri noted 

Om Puri acknowledged the improvising capabilities of Indian technicians, and their ability to make the best of available tools and resources. He added, “If our filmmakers don’t have a trolley, they will get a wheel chair, a smooth-surfaced plank of ply and use them in way that creates the effect of a trolley.”

Om Puri recalled another incident where noted cinematographer Ashok Mehta once did not have a crane for a shot. So he climbed a tree and created a make shift hammock that could be pulled up and down with a pulley, and that’s how he achieved the crane shot wanted. Puri added, “Our technicians are adept at improvising this way. If western filmmakers don’t get the equipment they want, they mind often stops working.”

After establishing his prowess in the 70s and 80s with films like Aakrosh, Ardh Satya and Party, Om Puri became one of the rare Indian actors to make his presence felt in Hollywood. Puri worked in many popular western films like City of Joy, and East is East among others.

Om Puri passed away in January 2017 after having a heart attack at his Mumbai residence.