Director

In India, it's tough to shoot a period film outdoors. You cannot find mud roads without wires, signage and billboards with ads of mobile phones even in rural areas.

In India, it's tough to shoot a period film outdoors. You cannot find mud roads without wires, signage and billboards with ads of mobile phones even in rural areas.

Making realistic films is basically about the style.

I like to make something different and interesting.

When I look back I either feel I did this mistake while shooting or writing. Eventually you try and make sure you do not repeat the same mistake with your next film. I always feel I could have made the film better.

I love the new Marvel films, but I am not crazy about them. It is no longer a sub-genre or a fanboy genre. It has become so mainstream. You cannot say, 'I love superhero movies.' Everyone loves superhero movies now.

I think vigilantism is a pipe dream, because the larger need is for a justice system that works. Now, Batman cannot be Batman without police commissioner Jim Gordon, because every time he catches a villain, he tries to send them to Gordon. So, the idea is to help the justice system to work. I don't think it can work in real life, though.

I relate to all kinds of film.

Nothing should be banned. I think it is just not good.

Everyone wants their film to do well and I am no different from them.

Of course, you have to think of the audience. You cannot make an obtuse film that only appeals to a small niche section of the audience.

The most important thing in a love story for me is the intensity and passion that my lead actors bring into playing their characters.

I'm willing to fail, my producers are willing to fail, my crew is willing to fail.

I've never lived anywhere else in my life, I have a massive love-hate relationship with this city. I grew up in the western suburbs in the '80s and for everything we had to go to south Bombay - so you lived the whole city, in a sense.

What I loved about the 1950s is that there is an aesthetic to even the average film. The way the camera is placed, the way characters move, the way you dressed the sets, the respect for craft and actors, I do miss that in today's films.

You have to be honest about what kind of films you want to make.

Indian audience has a mindset that a movie which does well at film festivals will necessarily be slow and boring.

You can be technically strong, and focus all your efforts on elements like casting, music, cinematography and sets, but they are all just add ons. End of the day, filmmaking is really about how well you tell a story.

To be a showrunner and a director is beyond exhausting.

Give me a story which I connect with and then I am going to do it.