Indian cinema most prolific in the world: Oliver Stone

According to Stone, who will be conferred with the lifetime achievement award at the 12th Mumbai Film Festival, Indian cinema inspires people's desire to be flexible in life.
"It is only in Indian movies that you can shift from comedy to romance and tragedy which symbolises life in general," he told reporters here today.

On whether he would make a film in India with Indian actors, Stone said he would love to, especially if he had to have the luck of Danny Boyle.

Stone's "Alexander Revisited" will have a special screening at the festival tomorrow.
"The film has not been released anywhere except the US. The original was released in November 2004 after completing the shooting in March that year. The post production schedule was very tight. It did poorly at the box office in the US and other English-speaking countries. The overall box office collections were USD 150 million," he recalled.
Stone said he decided to re-release the film after re-working on it.

"Chemistry among actors, timing and luck play a very important factor. Every film has its own destiny. Once it comes out, it stays on celluloid. Some movies are instant hits and some grow over a period," he said.

The actor-director, who arrived in Mumbai from Singapore, said visiting India was like a homecoming."I have shot in Laddakh for 'Alexander' and have very fond memories."
Stone said he grew up watching popular cinema. "Later, I studied Satyajit Ray in my film school."

Stone said the sequel of "Wall Street" (1987), "Wall Street - Money Never Sleeps" (2008) did not do well because it turned out to be different and contrary to the audience's expectations.

"They were expecting a different Oliver Stone," he said, adding that the sequel to "Wall Street" was a family drama of betrayal, love, trust with the Wall Street developments as a background.

"I can never remake a movie. Both versions of Wall Street matched their time."
Stone said he changed his style for every film.

"Both Wall Street and the sequel were very different from each other. The 2008 film contained the visual language of television."The filmmaker said he was critical of former US president George W Bush's decision to go to war with Iraq and highlighted it in his movie "W".

"I am strongly against war and portrayed it through my films," he said.Stone said he was working on a 12-hour television series on "the untold history of the US", which will be out next year."It is factual that is lost to history and will be depicted with archival footage and narrative," he said.