Shekhar Kapur: The king of queens

(CNN) -- Coming up on Talk Asia this week Shekhar Kapur, director of "Elizabeth" and "Bandit Queen," chats to Anjali Rao in front of a live audience. Filmed in Mumbai earlier this month, Kapur talks about his films, passions and inspiration, plus he answers your questions about his life and work.

Click here to watch Shekhar Kapur answer your questions in an exclusive online Q&A.

Shekhar Kapur: Biography

India's first and most successful film director in Hollywood, Shekhar Kapur, is the man behind critically acclaimed Tudor epic Elizabeth, and stands as the harbinger of Indian creative talent in the west, paving the way for others such as Mira Nair and Gurinder Chada, who made their own breakthrough films "Monsoon Wedding" and "Bend it like Beckham" filmmaker.

Nephew of legendary Indian actor Dev Anand, Kapur did not pursue a career in film until after spending several years in Britain working as an accountant and management consultant.

Swapping number crunching in the UK for acting in Bollywood and on the small screen in India, it was only when he took a turn behind the camera that he found his calling in film.

His directorial debut came in the early 1980's with "Massoom" and later "Mr. India." However it was his real-life story "Bandit Queen" about a low caste woman outlaw who achieved notoriety that brought him international acclaim and attention.

The film caused huge controversy in his native India. Portraying the violent life of Phoolan Devi, the film's frank depiction of nudity and rape led to the film being pulled by cinemas by after a court order.

Despite the furor and the ban, it was an enormous commercial success in the country in the seven weeks it showed there. Kapur claimed the real motive for the government's ban was because of it dealt with India's caste system.

Kapur was subsequently invited by Hollywood to direct "Elizabeth," released in 1998, which was nominated for seven Oscars, winning one, for Cate Blanchett as best actress. He went on to direct Heath Ledger in an adaptation of the Edwardian novel, "The Four Feathers" in 2002, and 2007's "Elizabeth: The Golden Age," which was nominated for two Oscars at this year's Academy Awards.

After ten years in Hollywood, Kapur has now returned home to Mumbai where his dream project "Paani" meaning water will be filmed. The story is set in 2025 in a city of 20 million people with no water.

With his unique advantage of having experienced two cultures and two key film industries, Kapur is often considered the authority of cinema and arts in general in India.

He is respected for not only being one of the few to make it big in the west but also for coming back and taking on the role of the much needed "crusader" for Asian cinema.