New Delhi: Moving away from the hustle and bustle of Gujarat polls, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on December 10 pondered over the state of Indian film industry terming many movies as "monotonous" even as he expressed hope that the recent Shahrukh Khan starrer 'Devdas' would win the Oscars.

"I am not trying to criticise the film industry of today. And if there is criticism, I would like it to be taken in the right spirit. But I cannot help wondering - and often feeling sad - why so many of the films these days look so monotonous?," Vajpayee said.

He was speaking after releasing a monograph 'Living Legend Dr Akkineni', on the life of the doyen of Telugu cinema Akkineni Nageswara Rao.

"When life is so rich and complex, when there are so many colours and shades of emotion and experience in life, why do our films generally try to stick to a stereotype?" he asked.

Citing the success of 'Devdas', which has been made and re-made in many Indian languages, Vajpayee said, "even the latest creation has been widely appreciated. And I can tell you that I too have watched it and liked it very much. It is our deserving entry for the Oscars next year and I do hope that it wins it."

The secret of success of 'Devdas', he said, was the power of the story by the great writer Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay "who is one of my favourites".

"I would urge our filmmakers to be bold and creative and choose powerful themes from the great works of Indian literature. Make films that will captivate generations of Indian film lovers with their emotional and moral force," he said.

PTI