“It’s not an apples to apples comparison at all”: Nimrat Kaur on Bollywood vs Hollywood debate

ANI | Updated:Sep 30, 2026 17:10IST

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Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 30 (ANI): Actress Nimrat Kaur had a fair share of Hollywood and Bollywood projects in her career, making her one of the most sought-after actresses of the world. Drawing from her experience, the actor spoke about the size and diversity of the Indian film industry, stating that success is subjective and should not be measured solely through comparisons with Hollywood.
Nimrat Kaur has played one of the major roles in the American TV show ‘Homeland’ in the early phase of her career, which was followed by series including ‘Wayward Pines’ and ‘Foundation.’ Despite gaining fame in Hollywood, the actress returned to her hometown, India, to work in Bollywood. 
In an interview with ANI, the ‘Lunchbox’ actress addressed the global box office debate between Hollywood and Bollywood, saying that direct comparisons with Hollywood blockbusters are “unfair” as Indian films are foreign-language content for international audiences. 

“The Indian film industry is the largest in the world because we are one of the most populated countries of the world. We have such a large population and have that many more actors and we have a very big industry. But I feel like no one has told us to go out and prove ourselves. In your life, what do you decide for yourself? And what do you consider success and not? I think it’s very subjective.”
She continued, “And we are a foreign language for Hollywood. Just like an English film is a foreign language film in India. Do they achieve, apart from some anomaly or the other, do they achieve the kind of box office numbers that you would compare to a big blockbuster given and the budgets they’ve been made on, right? So, I don’t think it’s a fair comparison. It’s not an apples-to-apples comparison at all.”
The actor also highlighted different cultures of India and the need to make films based on it to create stories that resonate with audiences worldwide while being authentic at the same time. 
“I feel like we should aim at our films becoming more true to our culture so they are relatable to anyone in the world. So that they speak at a human level anywhere. So many times we enjoy so many things from Korea or cinemas from different parts of the world. Do they necessarily speak the language that we speak? No. But we appreciate it for where it comes from. Is it mainstream in India? No, it’s not. And I don’t think it ever can be,” added Nimrat Kaur. 
Meanwhile, Nimrat was last seen in ‘The Family Man 3’, featuring Manoj Bajpayee and Jaideep Ahlawat. Created by Raj and DK, the series follows Manoj Bajpayee’s Srikant Tiwari, a middle-class man leading a double life as an intelligence officer for the Threat Analysis and Surveillance Cell (TASC), a fictional division of the National Investigation Agency. (ANI)