The Turkish Ambassador to India, Firat Sunel, is an enthusiastic admirer of Bollywood films, with a particular fondness for the Aamir Khan-led ‘Laal Singh Chaddha,’ a movie he has enjoyed over four times. According to Sunel, this film, which is an authorized rendition of the Hollywood hit “Forrest Gump,” surpasses the 1994 original that featured Tom Hanks in terms of success, in his view.
Despite receiving a spectrum of reviews from mixed to negative and facing boycott campaigns across social media platforms, which arguably affected its box office performance, Sunel remains a steadfast supporter. During an interview with PTI, he expressed his admiration for Bollywood and Aamir Khan, stating, ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ resonates with him more deeply than its American counterpart.
He shared, “I am a fan of Bollywood movies and my favourite actor is Aamir Khan. Laal Singh Chaddha, I have watched this movie at least four times. It is an adaptation of Forrest Gump. But this movie, for me, is more successful than the original one.”
Sunel appreciates Bollywood’s capacity to showcase the Indian way of life and its cultural backdrop, enriching viewers’ understanding of India and its people, contributing to the growing global success of Bollywood, “When you watch Bollywood movies, you also see the Indian lifestyle and background. You learn so much about India and Indian people, so that’s why Bollywood is getting more and more successful,” he added.
Moreover, parts of Laal Singh Chaddha were filmed in Turkiye, which, according to Sunel, highlighted the cultural parallels between India and Turkiye. He illustrated his point with a scene early in the movie where Aamir Khan’s character, while on a train, shares golgappas with nearby passengers before eating some himself. He expressed, “This (the scene) is normal for you and me, because it is a tradition. In Turkiye, we also offer food to people who are in proximity before we eat. But when somebody in America watches this movie, they wouldn’t understand it. They would think because ‘He is not a smart boy, that’s why he offered the food to other people’. Maybe because I catch so many similarities between our societies is that I feel so interested about the movies here.”
Laal Singh Chaddha was released in 2022. It was an official Hindi remake of Tom Hanks starrer 1994 film called Forrest Gump. While Forrest Gump is a classic film, Laal Singh Chaddha didn’t perform well. The film was directed by Advait Chandan and Kareena Kapoor Khan played the female lead. Mona Singh also had a pivotal role in the film.
Meanwhile, Aamir Khan is busy gearing up for Sitaare Zameen Par and Lahore 1947. While the actor will be starring opposite Genelia D’Souza in the former, he will be producing his maiden collaboration in the latter which will see Sunny Deol in the lead.
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