M. Night Shyamalan hopes to come to India for shoot soon

New Delhi, Jan 20 (IANS) US-based Indian-origin filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan feels he infuses his Indian influences into his work, and says he would love to come to the country to shoot a project.

With his roots tracing back to India, Shyamalan moved to the US as a child. He made his first film "Praying with Anger", a story about the journey of an American-Asian student discovering his Indian roots, back in 1992.

"I would love to come to shoot in India," Shyamalan told IANS in an exclusive interview.

"I shot my very first film in India when I was in college when I was 21. I would love to come to shoot something in India. I have to think of an idea," he added with a chuckle.

His life changed after his breakout hit "The Sixth Sense" in 1999. He is also credited for projects like "The Visit", "Wayward Pines", "The Last Airbender", "The Happening", "After Earth", "Split" and "Unbreakable".

Asked how he honours his Indian roots through his work, he said: "I think it naturally happens with me.

"I was born in Puducherry and have aunts and uncles in India. My parents are very traditional and my uncles and aunts are also very traditional. My generation is kind of the first generation raised in the US. Though I have a mix of these influences and hopefully the different type of values, the spiritual identities, are laced in my thrillers and you could feel that coming through."

At the moment, the director is getting appreciated for converging the world of "Split" (a story about a man with over 20 different personalities who kidnaps three teenage girls) and "Unbreakable" (about David Dunn who gets superhero abilities after surviving a train crash) in "Glass".

The sequel to "Unbreakable" and "Split" stars Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, James McAvoy and Sarah Paulson. Disney India brought the film to India. It opened on January 18.