Attending the 35th International Film Festival of India, the former tennis player suggested ways in which Indian producers could capture major global markets.

"Concentrate more on the screenplay and less on visuals," Amritraj told filmmakers.

"Focus on emotional content. If you want to make a film that appeals to Europe and the US, then you need to ensure it has access to audiences and is understood in places like Iowa, Missouri and Munich."

Amritraj has made nearly 50 films, including more than 20 in the last three years, and has worked with Oscar-winning stars. But he accepted his move from the lawns of Wimbledon to the studios of Hollywood had been a struggle.

He described his early years in filmmaking as that of an "out of work producer" who pretended to be busy by keeping his phone unnecessarily occupied.

Living in Los Angeles since 1975, Amritraj got into Hollywood in the early 1980s. "There was a time when people in Hollywood didn't know what India was," he said.

"I didn't know how difficult it would be to jump right in. The first five to six years were the toughest of my life."

However, he denied that the American film industry was affected by racism. "I don't think there's a lot of racism in Hollywood, but it's a closed world (which is hard to break into). Hollywood does respect talent."

"Each film has its own story. In Hollywood, the movie is made by the writer, unlike other countries where you have big stars," he said.

Hollywood films translate well across the globe. In contrast, Indian films are great for local and non-resident Indian audiences, but are difficult to grasp for a global audience, Amritraj said.

"Films (in India) suddenly break into songs. It's difficult to understand the structure. I do enjoy it. I've just started watching Hindi movies. It's great fun. But you've got to suspend all belief (while watching it)," he said.

Amritraj said Indian films could not compete with Hollywood ventures in terms of budget. "Instead you need movies with great emotional content that translate well across cultures."

Though Indian cinema had begun to make a mark internationally, it had a long way to go, he said. "You should gross $25-30 million in the US (to get noticed). No Indian film has done that yet."

Amritraj also explained the differences in filmmaking between India and the US.

While the director dominates in India, it is the producer who calls the shots in the US. The endings as well as other sections of Hollywood movies were sometimes redone based on pre-release audience response, he said.

Amritraj pointed to South Korea's success in exporting films, and the need for India to become more entrepreneurial and scour for more markets.

India was yet to replicate in films the kind of success it had notched up in fields like software, at institutions like NASA, and with multinationals like Microsoft and Intel, he said.

"Indian films have super technicians and good special effects which will get better if you pour in more money. The problem has to do with story and content (and how) to make them accessible to foreign audiences," Amritraj said.

He also ran down suggestions that the film festival here should be run on the lines of the world famous one at Cannes, France.

"This is Goa. It's more beautiful. People are nicer. At the end of the day, we need to have our own identity," Amritraj said.

Five of Amritraj's movies are being shown at the film festival here in a special section honouring expatriate Indian filmmakers.

These include "Bandits" (2001), "Moonlight Mile" (2002), "Bringing Down The House" (2003), "Raising Helen" (2004) and "Walking Tall" (2004).

His next project is a romantic comedy, to be shot partly in India and partly in the US. "I hope to have a 'Pretty Woman' kind of movie which would hopefully launch an Indian face in the West," he said.

Along with his brother Vijay, Amritraj was among the first Indian tennis players to make a mark at the international level. In 1976, they reached the semi-finals of the Wimbledon men's doubles competition.

--Indo-Asian News Service