Girl power

Enter the Dragon was released one month after Bruce Lee's death, becoming one of the most profitable martial arts movies in history and drawing many enthusiastic fans across the world to study kung fu.

"Lee, for me, was like a real-life Howard Roark (a character in the 1943 Ayn Rand novel, The Fountainhead, who follows his ideals)," says the Indian director.

"Needless to say, after a few sessions of trying to learn martial arts, I realized how impossible it is to even reach anywhere near Lee's ability; I abandoned my dream of following in his footsteps and settled for the far less painful, and much easier, art of filmmaking.

"Through Bhalekar's character, I want to convey that even she can be as powerful as someone like Lee," he adds.

Viewing habits in the two countries differ, with an average Indian film spanning around three hours, with an intermission. The movie will have two versions－105 minutes for China and 130-plus minutes for India－to cater to audiences in both countries.

"As the two neighboring countries both boast a long history and rich culture, China and India have seen cultural exchanges since ancient times," says Liu. "Sort of like a universal 'language' to go beyond borders, movies can help us to foster cultural communication and boost more cooperation."