Addressing the fifth edition of the Confederation of Indian Industries Big Picture Summit in Delhi on Tuesday, Information and Broadcasting Minister Venkaiah Naidu said while the ministry would help foreign producers shoot their films in India in the future, Indian cinema must preserve the country's heritage. “Any country that doesn't respect it's roots can't prosper. Vulgarity and obscenity have to be avoided. Cinema should give solace and a message to the audience. We don't want to have too many regulations either”.
The minister said, “Art and music have no boundaries but a country has boundaries,” obviously making a reference to the ongoing controversy surrounding director Karan Johar's film Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, which stars Pakistani actor Fawad Khan. “We want to have a good relationship with all countries, including our neighbours. We were together earlier, but they are troubling us. Why are they harbouring terrorism?”
While speaking about plans to expand the technology footprint in the country, he said over 80 per cent of Indians are non-English speakers. “People like to speak in their mother tongue. We must remember these things—mother who gives birth, matrabhumi (place of birth), matrabhasha (mother tongue). Hindi is the national language of India. In my younger days, I took part in anti-Hindi agitation without knowing what it is. But now we know Hindi ke bina Hindustan mein aage badna sambhav nahi hai (It's not possible to move ahead in India without Hindi)...I urge you to join Mission Modi, which stands for making of developed India”.
