Indian films need to work on content: Deepa Mehta

Indian-Canadian filmmaker feels that Indian cinema is doing well technically but it is yet to improve its content.

"No doubt, Indian cinema is a mass entertainer and has improved a lot technically but it is yet to develop content wise," Mehta told PTI.    

The Oscar-nominated director, who has been quite controversial back home because of her elements series Fire, Earth and Water, hopes that Ontario government's involvement in hosting the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards in Toronto will be a big boost to the business of cinema.

"As IIFA awards are being held here, it is definitely going to boost the business between the Indian and Canadian entrepreneurs," Mehta said.

"Since it has got the support of Ontario government, it has attracted a lot of attention, which is not only going to help the Indian business but also the Canadian business," said the director.

Mehta is currently working on the post production of her screen adaptation of Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie's Booker-prize winning book. With a host of Indian and foreign stars, the film set just after India's Independence in 1947, is director's most ambitious project till date. Rushdie has co-written the script with Mehta.

The film, titled 'inds of Change, would be released in 2012 in which British Indian actor Satya Bhabhab would play the lead role of Saleem Sinai. It also stars Shriya Saran, Seema Biswas, Anupam Kher, Siddarth Narayan, Rahul Bose, Soha Ali Khan, Shahana Goswami and Darsheel Safary.