Medvedev seeks closer Indo-Russian film ties

Mumbai, Dec 22 (PTI) Russian President Dmitry Medvedev
on Wednesday said people of his country have been
long-standing fans of Indian movies and stressed the need to
cement Indo-Russian ties further by closely working in the
field of cinema.
Blending diplomacy with showbiz, Medvedev, in an 30
minute interaction with some prominent members of the Hindi
Film Industry at Yash Raj studios, said Hindi films were in
great demand in Russia.
He said an Indo-Russian venture "Indian" starring
Panchi Bora along with a host of Russian actors is doing well
in cinema halls in his country.
"Russians love the bright, original, ethnic-oriented
movies made in India. The symbols depicted in the movies are
easy to understand. We find the way you dance very interesting
and fascinating. The love for Indian cinema is long-standing
in Russia," he told a group of filmmakers and superstar Shah
Rukh Khan.
Earlier, Medvedev visited the sets of "Ra.one" at the
studios and spent 20 minutes watching Shah Rukh and Kareena
Kapoor practice their dance steps.
Later, Shah Rukh said, "We wanted to shoot the song in
his presence, but due to security problems, we just showed him
the dance steps we were rehearsing. He wanted to meet the
grand daughter of Raj Kapoor and we spent time chatting over
coffee for 20 minutes."
The President said Russia had a 24-hour television
channel dedicated to Indian movies which is very popular.
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