Shekhar Kapur
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"Shekhar Kapur" is an Indian film director, actor and producer known for his works in Hindi cinema. Kapur became known in Bollywood with his recurring role in the TV series Khandan in the mid-1980s and his directorial debut in the cult Bollywood film Masoom (1983 film)/Masoom in 1983, which won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie for that year.

He gained international recognition with the 1994 Bollywood film Bandit Queen based on the life of infamous Indian bandit and politician Phoolan Devi, which won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi, Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie and Best Direction for that year. The film was premiered in the Directors Fortnight section of the 1994 Cannes Film Festival, and was screened at the Edinburgh Film Festival.

His historical biopics on Elizabeth I of England/Queen Elizabeth (Elizabeth (film)/Elizabeth (1998) and Elizabeth: The Golden Age/The Golden Age (2007)) won the BAFTA Award for Best Film, and two Academy Awards. He has been the recipient of the Indian National Film Awards (India)/National Film Award, the BAFTA Award, the National Board of Review Award, and three Filmfare Awards. In 2010, He served as one of the Jury Members (International Competition) at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival/63rd Cannes Film Festival.

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One day I was sitting in the producers' office and they were running a promo reel of (the Blanchett/Ralph Fiennes film) 'Oscar and Lucinda,' ... And I'm sitting here and I suddenly looked at this and I saw Cate. In that half-a-minute promo reel, I knew why I was not supposed to cast anyone else.

The Indian government has always thought themselves able to do whatever they feel is necessary to curtail artistic freedoms.