Indian film industry is mushrooming: Benjamin Gilani

Veteran actor Benjamin Gilani feels the Indian film industry is growing by leaps and bounds. He is especially glad to witness how the divide between commercial cinema and parallel cinema is gradually being wiped out.

"Indian film industry is just mushrooming. So many different films are being made. It is no longer just commercial cinema or parallel cinema. The whole canvas has become so huge, as all kind of movies are being made now," Benjamin told IANS.

An alumnus of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Benjamin has been actively involved in theatre, television and films.

Known for portraying Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in the 1993 film "Sardar", he has also acted in movies like "Hum Dum", "Waqt: The Race Against Time" and "Game".

He founded Motley Productions, a Mumbai-based theatre company in 1977, along with Tom Alter and Naseeruddin Shah. Benjamin is also satisfied to see the positive growth of regional cinema.

"There are so many regional films being made in India, in so many different languages - whether it is Assamese, Punjabi or Marathi," said Benjamin.

For now, Benjamin, who also did popular TV show "Tara", is set to turn host for Disney channel's new show "Disney Q: The Family Mastermind", the Indian version of BBC's popular game show "Mastermind", which goes on air Feb 25.

"It has been really nice experience. It is something that came to me after a long time and at also at the right time. I got to interact with a whole cross section of people, which was wonderful," said Benjamin, who has earlier hosted shows like "Mumbai Darshan" and "Ankh Ajoobe".

On the big screen, he would soon be seen in new film "Rise of Zombie".