He's a man who dreams big and creates bigger. Zooming in on Shekhar Kapur who 'intends' to take India to the world

There's no stopping Shekhar Kapur. Just when you thought he had got it all with an Oscar nomination and projects with super stars, he announces his mega project, 'Intent', a multi media conglomerate with spiritual guru Deepak Chopra that would look at content from Asia. The man is relentless...

With a heady dose of patriotism, Shekhar is truly our man in Hollywood. It's time for Asian culture to dominate entertainment, feels the maverick director. The reason? Asia, India in particular, is fast developing financial biceps and it's time for Indian entertainment to follow suit.

He's dreaming of a time when the hottest Hollywood star would not be American but Chinese or better still, Indian! He's even predicted in a 'Guardian' article that Western dominance of cinema will be over in 10 years: "No longer will we aspire to the West - the West will aspire to the East," he tells us. Surprised? Shekhar isn't. He's a believer - one who believes in the power of Indian cinema.

This is a man of surprising moves. A one-time chartered accountant, he chucked a well paying job in the UK and returned home to act! Short-sighted Bollywood didn't offer him much of a chance in front of the camera though we are sure there was more to him than suave, bearded charm. Think of him as the soft-spoken yet firm bureaucrat in 'Udaan' and you get the picture.

And move he did. Luckily for us, Shekhar shifted focus to direction and gave us movies like 'Masoom', 'Mr India' and 'Bandit Queen.' With 'Bandit Queen' he courted controversy and commercial success in equal dollops before going international.

His spot in the international arc lights is confirmed now, what with the Oscar nominated 'Elizabeth,' followed by 'Four Feathers,' 'The Guru' (which he produced) and the still under-production 'Long Walk To Freedom', where Morgan Freeman portrays Nelson Mandela. Our man from Mumbai keeps company with the best in the business.

What also adds to the special appeal is his faith in 'desi' dictums. He was quoted as saying after 'Elizabeth' that he learnt a lot from Bollywood. And we all watched him turn up in Indian regalia at the Oscars. How many guys can adapt to international trends but still retain their Indianness?

Shekhar Kapur can and here's why: "My film-making was learnt in the Hindi film idiom which is mythic, melodramatic, epic, expressionistic. And that is the idiom that made 'Elizabeth' so different from normal British period films," he says. All we can add is, encore!

Suave, charming, creative and smart, Shekhar Kapur is the best example of taking risks and reaping rewards. Is there a secret lurking somewhere? "I am an adventurer," says Shekhar, "I risk everything - I've been lucky that some gambles paid off!"
All we can say? Gamble on!