Shekhar Kapur is one of the elite club of Asian film directors who have cracked Hollywood. He talks to Mishal Husain about his early films in Bollywood, controversy around his film ' Bandit Queen' , his breakthrough ' Elizabeth' which gained seven Oscar nominations, including one for Best Picture . He also tells Mishal that Hollywood as we know it, is seriously under threat, as asian culture becomes a force to be reckoned with on the global stage.

HARDtalk Extra is the BBC's most widely broadcast arts and entertainment interview programme. Each Friday, the programme profiles leading personalities in the arts, entertainment, science, culture and the media. This edition of HARDtalk Extra will be broadcast on BBC World on Friday 3rd February @ 1000 with additional appointments to view @ 1400, 1700 and 2100 IST.

Further information:
Deeptie Sethi/ Neha Sharma
Tel: 91 11 2341 2672/73 Extn. 102
Fax: 91 11 2341 1109
Email: deeptie.sethi@bbc.co.uk

Notes to Editors: BBC World, the BBC's commercially funded international 24-hour news and information channel, is owned and operated by BBC World Ltd, a member of the BBC's commercial group of companies. BBC World is available in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide, and reaches 280 million households (136 million 24-hour homes) and more than one million hotel rooms. BBC World launched in its present format in 1995 and is funded by advertising and subscription. For further information on how to receive BBC World, download schedules or find out more about the channel, visit bbcworld.com.