Filmmaker Subhash Ghai says he wants youngsters to shun Western culture and avoid jeans.
"I would not want the younger generation to wear jeans anymore," said Ghai, who has directed and produced several super hit films where his actresses wore exotic Western outfits.
"The youngsters today should shed their Western faces or Western masks that they are wearing," he said.
"Children must build national character, not corrupt character," said Ghai.
He further said cinema was a great way to incorporate national character in youngsters.
"Not just independent or rich cinema, even in an out and out commercial film there are four-five things which can make someone like a rickshawala stop to think and change his perception about issues," he said.
Advising young filmmakers to learn to accept all kinds of cinema, Ghai said it was his mentor, Bengali filmmaker Ritwik Ghatak, who made him realize the importance of having an open, accepting mind in cinema.
"I give credit to Ritwik Ghatak as my teacher at the Film and Television institute of India (FTII)... he was the one who taught me that being open to all kinds of cinema was important," he said.
