Trade rep courts Bollywood in bid to promote Thai soft power

Nalinee, who was in India on Thursday to promote bilateral cooperation, said she had a chance to meet Bhatt, the lead actress in the acclaimed film “Gangubai Kathiawadi”, and encouraged her to consider collaborations in Thailand.

She shared the exchange with a team of government spokespersons upon her return and the discussion was published on the Thai government website.

Nalinee said upon meeting Bhatt, she found out that the actress had just returned from Phuket. Bhatt also told her that she loves Thai cuisine, especially somtam, phad thai and fresh coconut juice.

The trade representative told the popular actress that if she shot her films in Thailand, her activities here would capture the attention of her fans in India and elsewhere. This, she said, would promote Thailand as a great travel destination.

Nalinee added that she also met Indian film producer and writer, Sajid Nadiadwala, who owns the leading production firm Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment (NGE).

NGE has more than 200 films under its belt, including boxoffice hits like “Kick” and “Highway”, while Nadiadwala is president of the Indian Film and TV Producers Council.

Nalinee said she encouraged Nadiadwala to make films in Thailand and hoped he would pass the message on to his peers.

Nadiadwala reportedly told Nalinee that he liked shooting films in Thailand because Thai actors were skilled not just in acting, but also action like Thai martial arts.

Bollywood or the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai is the largest in the world in terms of the number of films produced and released annually, often surpassing even Hollywood.