Mumbai, March 13 (IANS): Oscar-winning Hollywood director Steven Spielberg, here to celebrate the success of his film "Lincoln", interacted with a bevy of Bollywood filmmakers, including Madhur Bhandarkar and Ashutosh Gowariker, who have hailed him for his genius.

Spielberg addressed a select gathering here Monday.

"It was great interacting with Steven Spielberg. Most of the directors from Bollywood were present. He is a sort of an inspiration for the entire world," Bhandarkar, a National award-winning director, said here after the event.

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan anchored the event, while a lot of filmmakers posed questions to Spielberg, who has helmed international films like "E.T. the Extra Terrestrial", "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom", "Jurassic Park", "Schindler's List", "Saving Private Ryan" and "War Horse", to name a few.

"Amit Ji (Amitabh) held a very nice conversation with him. People of the industry asked several questions. I always say Steven Spielberg is the god of cinema and today after meeting and talking to him, the entire industry is elated," said Bhandarkar.

Director Ashutosh Gowariker, who was also present at the event, said: "I think it was brilliant to hear Mr Spielberg speak. I think he was very generous in his sharing of information. It was great to see the most prolific filmmaker of our time."

Others who attended the event included directors Karan Johar, Ramesh Sippy, Anurag Kashyap, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and Kiran Rao.

Spielberg's "Lincoln", a co-production between Spielberg's DreamWorks and Indian business tycoon Anil Ambani's Reliance Entertainment, was nominated in 12 categories at the 85th Academy Awards. It won the best production design award and the best actor trophy for Daniel Day-Lewis.