The producer of Titanic and Avatar, Jon Landau, believes that cinema is not constrained by geographical boundaries

In spite of being one of the most successful producers ever, Jon Landau's humility and humour was striking. The Oscar he won 15 years ago (for Titanic) was sitting quietly on an adjacent table as he shared his thoughts with us about Titanic going 3D and his upcoming projects.

When the film won the Academy Award for Best Picture, director James Cameron went to collect the prize. But he was not alone. Jon accompanied him. Once onto the stage, he read out 35 names thanking them for their contribution.

Although it sounded boring, he was just being a grateful producer. We caught up with him during his maiden visit to the city.

As a producer, what is your biggest challenge?
Making films. Yes. Producing a movie is one heck of a tough job. You've got to find an interesting story. Once that is done, you have to bring people on board who share similar passion and then create an atmosphere that is conducive to bringing out what is intended on the screen.

What, according to you, is the future of motion capture (a technique to enhance visual effects)?
There's no future for motion capture unless we add the letter 'e' at its beginning. Emotion changes everything. Technology can only enhance what actors already perform. This is also the reason why I prefer to call it performance capture.

Is this philosophy of balancing emotion with technology behind the reemergence of Titanic as well?
Absolutely. Every single scene and every single shot in this movie has been retouched. It took us 60 weeks to make that possible.

Since it's a dramatic love story against the backdrop of a huge disaster, there were details to be taken care of. Small but significant facets that the audience might have missed earlier are clearly visible now, enriching the final product, especially, when Titanic breaks into two.

Whose idea was it to recreate Titanic in 3D?
It was Jim's (Cameron) idea.

You and James Cameron go back a long time. How has the experience been working with him?
We started when this (pointing to his beard) used to be black. Working with Jim is a huge challenge. He expects a lot more out of himself than anybody else in the team. And that's what makes him a visionary.

Is this your first visit to India?
Yes, and hopefully not my last. (grins)

Are you familiar with Bollywood?
Of course, who isn't? But then, I think there is no such thing as Hollywood or Bollywood. These are mere geographical labels. There is only thing in general - a movie... a story.

It could either be a good one or a bad one. For instance, Bodyguard was simply a movie. The same is true about 3 Idiots. They are meant to entertain and touch lives. Cinema transcends human boundaries.