Screwvala told the audience that Indian cinema was changing. For one the concepts and story telling techniques are changing, he pointed out.

UTV' chairman Ronnie Screwvala

"Indian cinema has been strong on entertainment, music, and has a very high impact on audiences," he said. "Now it is sprucing up on concepts and story telling techniques. They are becoming more evolved and strong."

He pointed out that the length of Indian movies has often been criticised. "Now films are being made of 2 hours duration just like in the west," he opined. "This is not happening on account of global audiences, but because more than 50 per cent of India is between 16 and 30 years of age and they want shorter form content."

He expressed that commercially the scene is also looking up. Ticket prices are going up in multiplexes, while home video and other ancillary revenues are making film makers less dependent on theatrical revenues alone to recover their investments.

He disclosed that UTV' Rang de Basanti was being reversioned for the international market and called Colour of Sacrifice as a two hour and five minute movie. "It will be released later this year," he revealed.

Gowariker revealed that her husband would have liked to be at Cannes but the production house wanted to finish the film before the monsoon hits.

Screwvala also played out a screener of Jodha Akbar which received a huge round of applause. And at least three distributors of Indian films in south Africa, Germany, and Poland said that they expected the film to do well. South African Indian cinema distributor Avalon Group managing director AB Moosa said that the timing of the release seems interesting. "It is scheduled around Ramzan and a little after Diwali," he explained. "That will pull in audiences."