Framed

You had once said you’d do only sweet,low-budget films. Have you graduated to big-budget projects with Tasveer 8X10?
I never made that statement. People believe I want to do sweet,low-budget films probably because I started with films like Hyderabad Blues and Rockford. At all times,I have a bank of scripts. Some are drama,some action and some light-hearted films. It’s just about what works for me at the time when I begin making a film.

India hasn’t seen good thrillers. What makes them difficult and tricky?
A thriller usually requires many elements to fall into place. Of them,the script and storyline are most important to keep the audience guessing till the end. It also becomes a battle of wits between the audience and the filmmaker. The cast,of course,plays a huge role. It isn’t always easy to bring them all together at the same time. I don’t think of the market trend before starting a project. I wrote Tasveer nearly six years ago and it took me as much time to get the elements together. When I had them,I made the film.

Was Akshay Kumar an obvious choice for being an action hero?
One can’t doubt Akshay with action. It’s one thing to be good at action mechanically and another to make action work for the camera. Akshay manages the latter very well. Of course,there’s the star value too. I needed someone big to justify the kind of budget that I had for the film.

You bring back a number of critically acclaimed actors. What prompted this ensemble cast?
Since it’s as much a drama as a whodunit,the cast was important. Akshay’s character shares a strained relationship with his father,who later dies in the film. Akshay can see the past of a person by touching objects that belong to the person and thus discovers that his father was killed by one of his close friends. All these actors are names to reckon with. They have done justice to their roles.

You’re a part of the video of the Tasveer track. Do we see you act again?
The video was totally Akshay’s idea. I’ve not even shot the video. It’s been shot by a music video director. But Akshay insisted that I appear towards the end to lend a twist to the track. But no,I’m not acting in my film this time. This time,I have focussed on direction and let acting take a back seat.

Why do you maintain distance from commercial cinema when you are critically acclaimed?
I wouldn’t put it like that. I always do films that I want to do. By the time I entered the industry I already had a square head on my shoulders. So I stay away from the trappings of the industry. I do films when I am confident that I can bring together a good film.

Do you now consider yourself a part of the Bollywood fraternity?
Well,I still maintain my own space. But,now that I’m making films in Hindi,I am a part of the industry too.

Why has Aashayein taken so long to release?
Some films,I guess,just have a stroke of bad luck. It initially faced delay due to schedules. Later,Reliance backed out. It’s now slated to release in June under Percept Picture Company’s banner like Tasveer 8X10.

Will Yeh Hausle release this year too?
Hopefully,the audience will see three of my films release this year. The shooting for Yeh Hausle is over and post-production work is on.