'Avatar' may be subconsciously linked to India: James Cameron

Avatar and the magical land of Pandora in James Cameron's sci-fi blockbuster may have had a subconscious reference to hindu mythology, the director said over the weekend.

Avatar has made Hollywood history with $2.6 billion in worldwide ticket sales and showcased Cameron's bold moviemaking skills. It also revealed the director's fascination with the imagery of India.

"I just have loved every thing, the mythology, the entire Hindu pantheon, seems so rich and vivid," Cameron told an audience of filmmakers and actors at a conference in New Delhi on Saturday.

In Avatar, Cameron creates a lush world of dense forests and floating mountains in a computer-generated spectacular that transforms much of the cast into giant, blue-skinned humanoids.

One of Hinduism's most revered gods, Krishna, is often depicted with blue skin.

"I didn't want to reference the hindu religion so closely but the subconscious association was interesting and I hope I haven't offended any one in doing so," the filmmaker said.

Cameron said the title of the film was a subconscious reference to India. Avatar in Sanskrit means reincarnation.

At the Academy Awards last week, Kathryn Bigelow's gritty Iraq war movie The Hurt Locker outshone Avatar after a nail-biting campaign season.

Avatar couldn't turn its box-office gold into a best picture Oscar win but scored three wins in the technical categories - visual effects, cinematography and art direction.