Film legend Amitabh Bachchan is proud that Indian cinema is secular and binds people together amid the wider social reality of diversity and religious divisions.

Bachchan made the comments in a supplement of The Observer titled 'The New India: An 84-page special issue on the world's next superpower'. It is the latest of growing number of breathless accounts in the British press of the ways in which India is changing.

The cover of the Observer issue has Indian industrialist Vijay Mallya relaxing in his swimming pool and speaking on the mobile with a bottle of his 'Kingfisher' beer in hand. The issue has several accounts of changes sweeping India including in business, fashion, food and cricket.

Speaking to contributor Neil Spencer during his recent visit here to promote the International India Film Academy (IIFA) awards, Bachchan said: "In a society that is so diverse, it's (Indian cinema) the one entity that is integrated. It's truly secular. It binds people together rather than sets them apart.

"We have never discriminated against any class, creed or religion. For example, three of our top most stars are Muslims (Shahrukh Khan, Aamir Khan and Salman Khan) and some of India's most patriotic songs have been written by Muslims.

"We have never propagated violence. When we sit together in the theatre we never ask whether the person next to us is Muslim, Christian, Hindu or Sikh. It's a wonderful amalgam."

On the increasing recognition and revenues earned by Indian films in Britain and the US, Bachchan said: "The revenues have increased markedly, whether the film audience has been able to see our films I'm not sure, but the numbers have increased. It's a process that will take time.

"Obviously there is the language barrier but Indian cinema has made an impact - and I'm talking here of the escapist commercial cinema which has often been the subject of great ridicule and cynicism.

"That very content is now gaining acceptability - I never imagined people in the West would be scrutinizing our work with so much intelligence."

Recent box office collections in Britain indicate that Indian films gross more than British productions.

Bachchan explained the phenomenon that he is considered something of a god in India by saying that it had more to do with the country's religiosity. He added: "God has been kind. The people have been kinder.

"Many of the stories in our films are drawn ultimately from our mythology and religion. So in the cinema a transformation takes place and we become King Ram or evil Ravan."

Recalling his stint as the host of the popular 'Kaun Banega Crorepati?' Bachchan said: "Crorepati has been some kind of a wonder. For me, it's an opportunity to meet the common man, to know about his life, his feelings. These are things that normally don't happen to film stars.

"Three days after the show started, I went on a pilgrimage to a Shiva shrine up in the Himalayas. I went by helicopter, otherwise it takes five days to get there, and there were cave people shouting 'Crorepati' at me."

The rapid growth of television in India, according to Bachchan, is driving change in Indian films as well.

"The numbers are incredible - there's a population of a billion and three-quarters of them watch TV. When you talk about a top TV show in the West having 11 million viewers - one city in India will take care of that. We have 250 million for one programme.

"If someone is watching quality stuff from the West on television, they don't want something of a lesser standard at the movie theatre. The younger generation of filmmakers is conscious of that," Bachchan said.

On reports of his son Abhishek marrying actress Aishwarya Rai, Bachchan quipped: "Yes, I have heard that rumour too."