Cinema soft power of a strong India: Javadekar

Cinema is India's soft power and there is a need to present its potential to the world, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar said on Monday.

The I&B minister, speaking at the National Film Awards ceremony, said the influence of Indian films is visible in other countries.

"I always believe that cinema is a soft power of a strong India. Our theatre and films are our soft power and we must harness this. The influence of this soft power is visible when I go to other countries. Another speciality of cinema today is that you have films being made on diverse subjects in all the languages of the country.

"The culture and art of a country is its power and we need to present this power to the whole world. Everywhere around the world, Indian films are loved by people. I went to Latin America recently and in that region also, there is a huge demand for Indian films," Javadekar said at the function, which was held at Vigyan Bhavan here.

The minister recalled his stint in filmmaking during 1989 to 1995 when he worked on six political satires for his party.

"I got the opportunity to work with some great artistes. So I know about the hard work involved in making a film. I can understand the passion, hard work and genius of all the artistes present here, including the directors, choreographers and others, that has helped them in reaching this stage," he said.

Javadekar singled out best actor winners -- Ayushmann Khurrana and Vicky Kaushal -- for their performances.

He also praised actor Akshay Kumar, who was present at the event to receive the award for "Pad Man", which won award for film on other social issues "Pad Man". Akshay both starred in and co-produced the film.

"From 'Padman' to 'Mission Mangal', everyone has seen these films. He also made 'Toilet: Ek Prem Katha'. Who would have thought 'Toilet' could be a love story?