'Films a unifying force in India', says Amitabh Bachchan

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan feels cinema is a unifying force in a country as diverse as India.

Speaking at a gathering where he was conferred the Asian Film Culture Award last night as part of the 8th Third Eye Asian film festival, Bachchan said a cinema hall is a symbol of national integration.

"Movie buffs in the dark cinema hall are not bothered about which religion, caste and creed the person sitting next belongs to. They laugh together at the same jokes, sing the same songs and cry over similar emotional sentiments," the Big B said.

Bachchan described his 40 years in the film industry as an opportunity to be able to represent his creativity and art and project the country's cinema to other parts of the world. He said India has the potential and talent to achieve excellent growth both in terms of quality and quantity of films produced annually.

"Once while I was shooting in Russia, a local man emerging out of a theatre after watching an Indian film said that he loved Indian cinema because there is a dry tear on my cheek and smile on my face when the film is over," he recalled.

Filmmaker Ramesh Sippy, who presented the award to Bachchan said the noted actor espouses the culture of cinema.