"But this movie, for me, is more successful than the original one.”
Firat Sunel, the Turkish Ambassador to India, is an admirer of Bollywood films and among his favourites is Laal Singh Chaddha.
He has watched the film at least four times and claimed that the Aamir Khan film is “more successful” than the original Forrest Gump in his opinion.
Laal Singh Chaddha is an official adaptation of the Tom Hanks classic.
Upon its release, Laal Singh Chaddha received mostly negative reviews and faced boycott campaigns, which may have affected its box office performance.
Despite this, Firat Sunel remains a supporter of the film.
He expressed his admiration for Bollywood and Aamir Khan, adding that Laal Singh Chaddha resonates with him more than its Hollywood counterpart.
Sunel said: “I am a fan of Bollywood movies and my favourite actor is Aamir Khan.
“Laal Singh Chaddha, I have watched this movie at least four times.
“It is an adaptation of Forrest Gump. But this movie, for me, is more successful than the original one.”
He also likes Bollywood’s capacity to showcase the Indian way of life, enhancing viewers’ understanding of the country, which contributes to Bollywood’s growing global success.
Sunel continued: “When you watch Bollywood movies, you also see the Indian lifestyle and background.
“You learn so much about India and Indian people, so that’s why Bollywood is getting more and more successful.”
Parts of Laal Singh Chaddha were filmed in Turkey and according to Sunel, this highlighted the cultural parallels between India and Turkey.
He referenced an early scene where the titular character shares golgappas with passengers on a train before eating some himself.
Sunel elaborated: “This (the scene) is normal for you and me because it is a tradition.
“In Turkey, we also offer food to people who are in proximity before we eat.”
“But when somebody in America watches this movie, they wouldn’t understand it. They would think because ‘He is not a smart boy, that’s why he offered the food to other people’.
“Maybe because I catch so many similarities between our societies is that I feel so interested about the movies here.”
Meanwhile, on the work front, Aamir Khan is busy gearing up for Sitaare Zameen Par and Lahore, 1947.
While the actor will be starring opposite Genelia D’Souza in the former, he will be producing the latter which will see Sunny Deol in the lead.
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