Bollywood more professional, but sans soul: Annu Kapoor

Annu Kapoor, who has dedicated over three decades of his life to showbiz, feels the Hindi film industry has become more professional over time, but feels it now lacks the soul of filmmaking.

"The society has witnessed tremendous change over the years. As a result, the art of filmmaking has also changed. It has become more professional. Such professionalism was not there earlier. People have become more technically advanced," Annu told IANS on phone from Mumbai.

But the actor rues that "the soul of the films is missing, though there are filmmakers like Shoojit Sircar, who are trying to create different kind of cinema."

The 56-year-old feels that content is bold and the viewers are over-exposed now.

"The films made earlier didn't have songs like 'D.K. Bose'. The songs lack melodies. The words earlier were so simple and elegant, that is missing now," said the actor.

Annu also feels that today's actresses don't have the charm of the female leads of the golden era.

"Today's actresses lack the charm of the yesteryear stars. The elegance and beauty of the golden era is not seen today," he said.

Annu made his debut with 1979 film "Kaala Patthar". Although he had a blink-and-a-miss role, that kicked off his Bollywood career. He was later seen in supporting roles in films like "Ram Lakhan", "Chaalbaaz", "Mr India", most recently "7 Khoon Maaf" and "Gali Gali Chor".

Be it a villain or comedian, Annu has played a variety of roles in his career. But with the new breed of actors the so-called categories have faded away.

"There is no more categorisation now. Non-singers are turning singers thanks to the technology, the lead actors themselves are exploring the villainous streak or doing comedy. A hero is not just a hero now," said the actor, who will now be seen in "Vicky Donor", which releases Friday.

Annu is amazed to see the way Bollywood is getting influenced by Hollywood and feels, in this quest, the essence of Indian cinema is fading away.

"I don't understand why is there such an affiliation with Hollywood. Our Indian film industry is an institution in itself. We don't need to be inspired by Hollywood," he said.

Annu is also a well known face on the small screen. He hosted musical show "Antakshari" for a decade. The actor has his own production house Amadeus Entertainment and is now looking forward to making some good TV shows and films.

"We are planning to make some good TV shows and films and looking for good scripts," he said.