Characters are not created on paper or laptop alone.
In a film like 'Kannathil Muthamittal,' I can't have a Rajnikanth or a Kamal Haasan. If you have a star, the expectation of the film is different. So, you cast according to the subject of the film. Some films are best done with stars because it gives you a base on which if you can get the correct performance, you can reach higher.
A written word gets preserved in so many forms. But movies which comprise of both audio and visuals have to be done with care and a lot more details.
Format is just the language. Content is the only thing that is important. Form is like handwriting. Whether you write in a scribble or clean handwriting or type it, the content remains the same. You want to write in clean hand, in a kind of a clear format only because it is aesthetically pleasing. I can scribble, that's also fine.
Art is something in which you are never an expert at any point of time. It's something you hone all the time and something which is elusive all the time.
When it comes to casting for movies, it is a priority that you cast right. The guiding principle must be what is right for the movie, that is the basis you cast someone, not because so-and-so is a friend.
I enjoy making all kinds of films. I love action films, war films, period films, adventure films.
Mumbai is the most cosmopolitan city.
A song is a burden that you carry happily.
When I am making a film, it's very instinctive, it's not preset.
Sometimes, I think filmmakers grab too much from real life.
Any good film you see gives you enough motivation and adrenaline rush to produce good content, while a bad film can get you so angry that you produce even better content.
The thing is that when you make a film, it is such an intense experience. It's like being married.
What is film-making about if not romance?
The journey of filmmaking is so amazing. You start off with great confidence, and develop insecurity at the time of release. When you are ready with the finished product, you are constantly wondering if you have been honest to the story you started out with, if you got what you wanted. One is too close to the project by then to be objective.
What I feel is great acting might be rubbish for another filmmaker. There is no right or wrong way to do it. It all boils down to the trust between an actor and a director.
Seeing any film after I have made it is difficult.
It is usually the setting that decides whether a movie can be made in two languages. If the subject is rooted up North, then I make it in Hindi. But if the subject is common, then I am open to making the movie in multiple languages.
My films are as much for the people as they are for me. The reception affects me, but doesn't change me as a person. That's important.
I liked Guru Dutt, the way he used songs and the way he shot songs. He was a class apart.
