Adarsh Gourav: West is realising now that Indian cinema is not just about musicals

Actor Adarsh Gourav gained international recognition early on in his career. His film The White Tiger (2021), earned nominations for BAFTA and Oscars. And his latest film, Superboys of Malegaon, recently premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), got a standing ovation.

Reflecting on the growing global interest in Indian cinema, Gourav, who will be next seen in Noah Hawley-directed television series Alien: Earth, says, “I feel right now Hollywood or the West is just beginning to know what Indian films are about. Of course, it was always there since the 60s with geniuses like Satyajit Ray who paved the way. The world knows who he is, but I feel like it's only in the last 20-25 years that the foreign categories, especially at the Academy, they’ve started taking more notice."

Gourav emphasises that Bollywood is no longer perceived as solely focused on song and dance in international cinema. "There have been a few films they have been watching, and now they know that Bollywood is not just musicals; the industry makes all kinds of films.”

The actor, who has also starred in projects such as Kho Gaye Hum Kahaan (2023) and Mom, among others, is optimistic about the future of Indian cinema. “A lot of what people know about India is through filmmakers who have made films on India but are not from India. In days to come, there are going to be more filmmakers nominated, more writers from the subcontinent who will write local stories that go international," he says.

Further, speaking about the reach of Indian cinema, Gourav shares a memorable encounter with his Alien: Earth co-star Essie Davis. Recalling meeting Davis at a dinner organized by the series' makers, he shares, “Essie was seated next to me, and after we introduced ourselves, she said, 'I am a massive fan of Lagaan’. I was pleasantly surprised when she started singing the songs from Lagaan phonetically. She obviously didn’t know the lyrics by heart but sang them nonetheless." “She talked about how amazing (actor) Aamir Khan was and how incredible the story was. She loves the songs and AR Rahman’s music. I felt very proud that she knew about Lagaan. It’s one of my favorite films too. It’s one of my comfort films,” he ends.