James Cameron enjoys Indian films for the emphasis on 'family, friendship, personal duty'

Hollywood filmmmaker James Cameron has said that he enjoys how Indian films focus on family, friends and the personal duty towards the people around. He also recalled his conversarion with SS Rajamouli and added that watching RRR made him analyse what he likes about Indian films.

Marking the 25th anniversary of the release of his iconic romantic film Titanic, James has re-released the film worldwide and several theatres in India are also screening the film for the re-release.

Asked about similarities between his films and those that are made in India, James told Bombay Times that the only difference is that his films do not have "a song and dance number at the end". He then recalled talking to SS Rajamouli at the Critics' Choice Awards, and said, "How much I enjoyed the physical production, the beauty and spectacle that he had created in his film, but also the tension, the action and all the things that I like. That film made me think about the Indian film industry at large and how much I enjoy Indian films for those reasons – whether it is the emphasis on family, friendship, personal duty towards the people around you and all those things."

He added that he started paying attention to Indian films only after his first visit to India in 2010. He had not watched Indian films before that. James Cameron said that Titanic did not have a strong release in India "because India was making so many of their own movies that you weren't that interested in our films". The Avatar director also said that he realised India is a strong territory for his films when Avatar Way of Water released.

Titanic was first released in December 1997, and held the worldwide number one box office spot for 15 consecutive weekends. Going by box office figures, Titanic is behind Avengers: Endgame and Avatar currently. However, that is is expected to change soon as the producers hope Avatar: The Way of Water will cross the lifetime colections of Avatar soon.