Travelling across boundaries

Slumdog Millionaire: I do not know if it qualifies as a crossover film. But,if it does then it surely tops my list. It’s just brilliant cinema. It’s visually stunning,very energetic and broke most of the rules of routine storytelling. Indian themed or not,it was path-breaking cinema. It showed the world that you can have fun and still win 10 Oscars.

East Is East: It’s one of the best crossover films I ever watched. Excellent performances by the cast,especially Om Puri. It was hilarious,poignant and very well-made. After many years,I still fondly remember the film. East Is East said everything there is to be told about being culturally different in a western world and made every other crossover film that came after it look dated.

Monsoon Wedding: Besides being a nicely structured movie with all the right elements about Indian life that appeal to the West,it was also one of the highest grossing films in this category. It put modern India on the world cinema map and was made on a low budget. The movie served as an inspiration for other filmmakers and proved that you can aim big even when you don’t have money.

Flavours: A film which tried to break away from the sterotype. It also tried to say something different from all other movies out there. In a way there was no formula and it achieved a cult following over time purely because so many Indian expatriates identified with the characters. It was made by debutantes on a shoestring budget and deserves some brownie points.