Mumbai: Cinema doesn’t discriminate and is instead, a ‘great integrator of communities’, said legendary Indian actor Amitabh Bachchan, who was guest of honour at the celebration of the US Independence Day here in Mumbai.

The US Consulate General organised an event here to mark the country’s 239th Independence Day, which falls on July 4. The theme of the proceedings of the event, held on Thursday night, was Bollywood.

‘To me, cinema has always been a great integrator of communities and I am so happy that you have chosen Bollywood as your theme today. As I always believe that when we stand at the box office to buy a ticket for a film, we never ask the caste, the creed, or the colour of the person sitting next to us, yet we enjoy the same film.

‘We cry at the same emotion, we laugh at the same comedy scene and we sing the same songs,’ Big B said while addressing the audience.

‘I have never ever seen any kind of institution, regretfully in today’s times, that can under one roof, propagate these principles that cinema does, and I am very proud to be a very small member of this fraternity,’ added the Big B, who has been entertaining audiences with his movies for over four decades.