Academy president John Bailey voices support for 'more Indian representation', open to office in Mumbai

John Bailey, president of the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences, trumped for a better representation of Indian cinema at the upcoming Academy museum in Los Angeles, during his visit to Mumbai.

Bailey, along with his wife, editor Carol Littleton, is on a visit to India, and was part of a masterclass held at the Yashwantrao Chavan auditorium in Mumbai on Sunday, 26 May. The couple also visited the National Museum of Indian Cinema.

On being prompted by cultural affairs minister, Vinod Tawde, to look at Mumbai as a prospective office for the Academy's expansion, Bailey suggested that the idea was 'logical'.

He said at the press conference, "We have an office in London and in New York. India is the largest filmmaking country in the world. India makes up to 1,800 movies a year, which is more than four numbers of times that we [Hollywood] make in the US. It's an excellent idea... Mumbai would be such a strong connection to all of south-east Asia. It makes a lot of sense." 

IANS quoted Bailey as saying, "Last year, the Academy accepted 928 new members from 56 countries... The Academy is expanding and we understand that our preservation and history is tied into the rest of the world. The Academy is not just a Hollywood bubble and we want to connect (with) as many cultures as we can, including that of India." 

In addition, Bailey added the suggestion of including a bronze bust of Dadasaheb Phalke, the father of Indian cinema, in the museum as a representative of the Indian cinema industry.

Bailey later attended the Maharashtra Rajya Chitrapat Puraskar where he presented an award to actor Paresh Rawal.

Bailey and Littleton are expected to leave for New Delhi, where they will hold an interactive session at the Siri Fort Auditorium later this week.