My story is similar to every ordinary Indian boy's tale. My father wanted me to become an engineer or a professional but I was sure that I have to be in the Hindi film industry. I joined college through the quota for extra curricular activities but I am still not a graduate.
Abhishek Banerjee
I guess people feel that if you're working with good directors and are known in the Hindi film industry, then you won't work in South films. However, I believe that films have no boundaries of language, religion, or cast. If it's a good script and a good director, I can do a film in Spanish as well.
Aditi Rao Hydari
I never grew up on a staple diet of Hindi cinema. In fact, when I was a VJ, I was averse to it. Purely because I could never imagine myself being an actor.
Aditya Roy Kapur
I didn't grow up watching Hindi films and loving them, or wanting to become a Bollywood actor. That, to me, was the most fantastical idea.
Recording a Hindi song takes me around 40 minutes whereas a Kannada song takes me about two hours. The music isn't a problem, since the notes used are universal. The language is the problem. I try my best to get it right, as I'm sensitive about respecting every language, since all of them are sacred in my heart.
Adnan Sami
Even in India the Hindi film industry might be the best known but there are movies made in other regional languages in India, be it Tamil or Bengali. Those experiences too are different from the ones in Bombay.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
Instead of saying 'unique,' I will say 'Kattappava Kaanom' is a very special and lucky film for me because I got the chance to step into Hindi film industry when I was in the shoot of this movie.
Aishwarya Rajesh
I used to do a lot of plays in English, Hindi, and Urdu. I wanted to be an actor since I was three and a half.
Ajay Mehta
My father was a very special human being. He was brilliant in academics, sports and the arts. He wrote, performed and directed plays in English and Hindi/Urdu at his regiment.
I would definitely love to do Hindi films but I'll choose films carefully.
Akhil Akkineni
The film-watching crowd are mainly youngsters who see fashion on TV, in Hindi films, and in magazines.
Akkineni Nagarjuna
Hindi film industry's fortunes are directly connected to that of the world finance markets.
Akshaye Khanna
I am not against acting in a Hindi film, but I will take it up only if the story is right.
Allu Arjun
I grew up idolising Madhuri Dixit, though I wasn't a Hindi film buff. I had an academic upbringing, and movies were a rarity. I looked up to Madhuri because I loved dancing, and she's a fantastic dancer.
Amisha Patel
My father is a poet. He's a literary giant of this country - writes in Hindi - and also quite unique because he has a Ph.D. in English Literature. He taught at Harvard University, which is one of the most prominent universities in the country.
Amitabh Bachchan
I feel that, particularly because of language, we are handicapped in getting a large world audience. But Hindi cinema has the same ingredients that appeal to the whole world.
Hindi writing, as well as Hindi journalism, is a great gift to Indian writing.
Amitava Kumar
While I was doing Hindi, people there laughed at me because I couldn't speak Hindi and English properly.
Amruta Khanvilkar
I like doing Marathi films. I am not too keen on Hindi TV shows. It's very tough to get Hindi films, but if a good script and role comes up in future, I will surely pick it up.
My Hindi is OK. I think I am better with Tamil. I remember the Tamil words.
Amy Jackson
I started with Tamil film, then Hindi. Now, I am also doing a Telugu film. The journey has been wonderful so far.
Hindi is far easier a language to pick up than Tamil.
I have worked really hard to reach where I am - I worked hard on my Hindi and diction because I am a Parsi and Hindi is not my strong point, and I've also learnt Tamil and Telugu because I want to get my lines right. I want to be known as a performer.
I haven't even grown up on Hindi films because my Hindi is bad; I am a Parsi and we speak English or Gujarati at home.
In India I've been to all the award functions, but that was in Hindi; now it's in English so it's a much bigger scale.
Music has no language. That's something I've come to believe in even more ever since 'Kolaveri Di' happened. I don't deliberately make separate Tamil, Hindi, or Telugu tracks.
I like Hindi movies. Although my wife thinks the hero and heroine breaking into a song and dance every five minutes is ridiculous, but I find them entertaining.
I would love to do better in mainstream Hindi films, but one thing I must say is that my best experience so far has been in the Punjabi film industry, where I've been around for more than 11 years.
I'm sure I will play the typical Hindi film heroine and have my song and dance routines in future.
Among the various vernaculars that are spoken in different parts of India, there is one that stands out strongly from the rest, as that which is most widely known. It is Hindi. A man who knows Hindi can travel over India and find everywhere Hindi-speaking people.
Hindi is my mother tongue. Even though I do not get to use it as often, it's still a part of me.
I think in my mother tongue. That's Hindi.
My first Hindi film as a leading man was Mahesh Bhatt's 'Saaransh,' which immediately established me as someone who knows the craft.
There was a time when I didn't find a single, interesting Hindi TV show to watch, and ended up binging on American TV. Now, with online video streaming services, one is spoilt for choice, and it's getting better in terms of the wide variety of content to satisfy the diverse tastes of its audience.
Independent graphic novelists have already achieved good work in terms of design, but all these great minds are writing in English. There is a need for people to write in Hindi.
I have stayed in south India all my life. English comes more naturally to me than Hindi.
I speak Hindi with a Punjabi accent, not a Haryanvi accent.
In a population of over one billion, there are 12-15 names that have the potential to be main leads in Hindi films. I am within the minority of the minority.
I used to like Mukeshji very much because his Hindi was excellent. It was very clear, and his pronunciation was excellent. No one could match that.
Hindi film music has always been completely driven by the plot. We singers never had any say in compositions.
I can speak English, Hindi and Bangla.
Hindi film industry has not proved to be a viable alternative for me, hence, I shifted my focus towards South, where I have created a market for myself.
'Amma Nanna O Tamila Ammayi' has a very nice subject which I think could be remade into a Hindi film. It was my first film in Telugu for which I got Filmfare Award for the best actress.
Having done movies in Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, and Hindi, I have been accepted both in North and down South. I don't believe in divisions. I like to believe that I am working in the Indian film industry.
Now that I am a part of the Hindi film industry, I hope I can do different roles with a lot of scope.
Let's be frank. In the South, people are not as enthusiastic about Hindi movies as their own.
I know Hindi.
Dancing like a typical Hindi film hero was a bit strange at first but I enjoyed it.
I had the Forrest Gump' DVD and started watching. While watching it, I had no intention of writing it. When I started watching it, I got some flashes that it can be adapted in Hindi. That's how it started.
We cannot compare Marathi cinema industry with other regional industries or even Hindi industry. It will be unfair for us. Every industry takes time to evolve.
