AMSTERDAM, April 8: Indian idol Amitabh Bachchan on Friday urged the country’s film industry to consider staging its awards ceremony in Pakistan.

The veteran film star is a member of the International Indian Film Academy’s (IIFA) advisory board and its global ambassador.

“I am a member of the advisory board and I would most certainly bring this up at some stage that we should hold an IIFA in Pakistan,” said Bachchan.

Actors, producers and directors believe Bollywood has the power to help the two countries closer together amid hopes of improved relations between the neighbours.

“An imaginary line is dividing two countries and creating a lot of hostility. We need to stop that. Everywhere in the world now barriers are being removed and people are coming together,” Bachchan said in an interview.

EXCHANGE OF CULTURES: “I hope that we can, as a result of film making and exchange of culture and films and events, be able to propagate peace,” he said on a visit to the Netherlands, which will host this year’s IIFA awards ceremony in June.

South Africa and Singapore have also staged the event in the past few years.

Asked if it would be feasible for Indian film accolades to be handed out in Pakistan as early as next year, Amitabh Bachchan replied: “Certainly. Why not? We’ll certainly look into it. We can work towards that.”

A Bollywood legend, he stars in a new film tipped by the Indian media as the country’s best ever bet for a foreign film Oscar. The film “Black” has been inspired by the life of legendary deaf and blind writer Helen Keller.

No Indian film has ever won an Oscar, although India turns out about 1,000 films in 12 languages every year. Nearly 80 per cent of the dialogue in “Black” is in English.

“I think the concept of Oscars is for American cinema. I think they are gracious enough to include a category where they acknowledge cinema from other countries as well, India included.

“We haven’t had the kind of recognition or perhaps have not made a product which is appreciated in the Oscars. But hopefully we will one day,” Amitabh said.

“We can’t expect to win all the awards in the Oscars. It’s an English language medium and Hindi cinema is Hindi cinema, so it will have limitations.”

—Reuters