'Fast and Furious' success due to multicultural cast: Filmmaker

Observing that audiences are no longer nationalistic, Oscar-winning filmmaker Freida Lee Mock says the huge success of the "Fast and Furious" movie franchise - the latest edition of which includes an Indian actor - is due to its multicultural cast.

Featuring Hollywood giants like Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson, the seventh film in the series "Fast and Furious" will hit Indian screens in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu on April 2.

The cast also includes Indian actor Ali Fazal.

"Audiences are no longer nationalistic. It's a recognition that your audience is global. I think the synergy between India and Hollywood is going fantastically," Mock told IANS here on Monday in response to a question on the increasing collaborations between the entertainment industries of the two countries.

"As an example, the 'Fast and Furious' series, it became revived and successful because the casting became much more multicultural, and so it's become a huge hit internationally. As I think, it's going very well," the American filmmaker said.

Mock's repertoire includes Oscar winner "Maya Lin: A Strong Vision", a feature film about the designer of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC, and Oscar-nominated films like "Rose Kennedy: A Life to Remember" and "SING!", on one of the best American children's choruses.

The Emmy Award-winner noted that diversity in entertainment industry not only fosters better understanding of cultures, it is also beneficial in terms of commerce.

"You want a more international audience just from the business sense. The businesses are looking for a more global audience because they know that's where the income is," she explained.

Mock was here as part of the fifth edition of "Our Voice, Our Journey", a series of events to explore the lives of dynamic women and the difference they have made to their communities, organised by the American Center in collaboration with Ananta Aspen Center.