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Jonathan Nolan says Bollywood has 'fearlessness, ambition' that Hollywood lacks: 'That is very exciting' | Interview
Jonathan Nolan speaks to HT about his impressions of Indian cinema and what makes it stand out against Hollywood.
When Jonathan Nolan last visited India in 2024, he immediately became everyone’s favourite international filmmaker as he called Bollywood ‘bigger than’ Hollywood. As he prepares for the release of the second season of his acclaimed series Fallout, Nolan spoke to Hindustan Times about Indian cinema’s place in the global milieu and what edge it has over Hollywood.
Jonathan Nolan on Indian cinema
Nolan attended the Asia premiere of Fallout season 2 in Tokyo this week, where HT reminded him of his statement from last year. When asked what gives Bollywood an edge over Hollywood, the writer-director says, “I think it's very clear, and you sort of started to see the global fascination with Indian filmmaking. It is fearless in those ways at its best. Hollywood can be, too. But (in India), there's a level of ambition that is very exciting.”
‘We watch Miyazaki at home’
Jonathan admits that writing and filming Fallout leaves him with very little time to discover new titles in Indian cinema, something he badly wants to. “Unfortunately, given the schedule of making television means you often don't have a lot of time to watch any television or film. The media diet in my house is still largely decided by my two lovely kids, who are still going through a Miyazaki phase. So there are a lot of Miyazaki films (in the house). But yes, I am lucky to be working as hard as we have, but when we finally get a break, I'm looking forward to watching (more Indian films).
About Fallout season 2
For now, the filmmaker is looking forward to the release of Fallout season 2, which reunites the original cast, including Ella Purnell, Aaron Moten, Kyle MacLachlan, Moisés Arias, Xelia Mendes-Jones, and Walton Goggins. The first episode will premiere on Prime Video on December 17, with the remaining episodes released weekly through February 4, 2026.
