Are you a young man with a philosophical bent of mind?

I don't think about his philosophical or that. I am what I am. I say what I feel. I do what I feel like doing. I make the kind of films I love to make. If what I am and what I do is some kind of philosophy then it is philosophy or call it what you may. I was passionate about my job then. I am passionate as a filmmaker now. That is all I know because that is all that matters. There is nothing intentionally philosophical to make my life complicated.

You never worked with any big directors. You did not learn the basics of filmmaking from any institute or academy, then how come you had the courage to make films?

I believe observation is the best way of learning. I believe in the method followed by Quentin Tarantino, the great Hollywood director, who learnt the art of directing films by sheer observation. He based all his films on his close observation of different kinds of film and could direct some of the best films even better than the best trained directors. I have not blindly followed him in any way but I think observation with intensity and also necessity to know what kind of film you want to make makes a very big difference and I have succeeded so far. In India, I think we have Ram Gopal Varma who is the only director who has learnt everything about what filmmaking is by watching films in his father's video parlour.

You started off at a very young age but you have already gone such a long way as a filmmaker. You are recognized. Your films are accepted by all kinds of people. You have given a complex to some big directors and you have become a source of influence and inspiration for young filmmakers, almost become a leader and a godfather to filmmakers and artistes. How does it genuinely feel?

Let me tell you very sincerely. I don't believe in anything about what people say or think about me. I am no one's Guru and no one is my disciple. I keep telling people that I am a very grateful man, grateful to all those who encouraged me, those who gave me all their support and co-operation to make my films the way I want to. I am a filmmaker and filmmaking is my job. I do my job effectively and to the best of my ability and I am always ready to accept success or failure and take them in my stride. People have the right to pass their own judgment, to appreciate my work or tear it to pieces. I have always accepted the verdict of the people as the final verdict. There is nothing more satisfying than earning the appreciation of the people. What I am is because of them. What I will be ultimately will also be because of them. And for God's sake let me make it clear once and for all that I am not interested in being a guru or a Godfather. I am a learner myself, how can I be teacher? I am not saying all this in false modesty. I believe in what I am saying.

You have been living out of the country for so many years, you have been influenced by the West, then how do you know the traditions, sentiments and culture of the country of your birth?

Roots, my friend, roots. It all depends on how deep you are rooted in your own culture, tradition, values and rituals. I am an Indian and I will always be an Indian. I have taken great pains to see that I am not swept away by the winds of change in the west. I am an Indian and I will make Indian films which are steeped in everything that is Indian.

But your new film, "Bombay to Bangkok' sounds like something that is not very Indian.

The title sounds very English, but it is basically an Indian film. It is a romantic comedy which is a genre I am trying for the first time. It is "same to same but different' like everyone selling something in the markets of Thailand say about their goods. My film, incidentally is almost entirely shot in Thailand.

Why Thailand?

It is a love story like any other love story but it is a love story with a very big difference and I mean what I say. It is a very good story about a young Indian who plays some tricks in India is forced to flee from the country. He reaches Thailand where people don't even know English. During his anxious stay in Thailand he meets a beautiful Thai girl and circumstances lead them to fall in love. Their love story keeps growing to a point of no return. It is when their love story is at its best that the problem he had created in India catches up with him. The Thai girl goes out of her way to help her Indian lover out of all his problems. There are many other reasons and incidents in the film for which I found Thailand to be the place to shoot "Bombay to Bangkok'. It is the first Indian film to be extensively shot in Thailand which has some of the most beautiful locations. Language is the only major problem in the country even though it is a major tourist centre. The people refuse to speak in any other language but their own not even English, without knowing that it is something that is keeping people away from taking more interest in it.

How did you find the Thai girl to play an actress in an Indian film?

I couldn't believe it when I found hundreds of girls coming in for audition. Till I came across this girl. Her name is Lena Christensen. She is an actress, a singer and a TV personality who has her own show and more than anything else she could speak and understand a little of English. She was God sent. I wanted an actress I could communicate with and I found Lena. Mark my words, she is brilliant in the film.

And what about the unknown Marathi stage actor Shreyas Talpade who you turned into a star with "Iqbal' and who is also the hero of "Bombay to Bangkok'? How much as he grown as an actor?

I am very happy about his success. He is a star now and nothing can stop him. I only hope he doesn't forget the basic actor in him. Stardom is a passing phase. Good acting is forever. Shreyas should remember this. I hope success doesn't spoil the actor in him. He is very good in "Bombay to Bangkok', entirely different from all the roles he has played so far. In fact, people who have seen him earlier will find it difficult to believe that this is the same Shreyas who first played "Iqbal'. I am very proud of him and I hope he doesn't give ma change to change my opinion about him.

I have been told you have a kissing scene in the movie?

it was the most difficult scene to shoot. Neither Shreyas nor Lena had done a kissing scene in a film and I genuinely need a kissing scene in the film. I had to have several takes before the tow kissed like I wanted their kiss to be.

What are the other highlights of the film?

Thailand basically, my team, my artistes and their performances and the hard work put in by everyone to make "Bombay to Bangkok' as I created it.

Any interference from Subhash Ghai, your producer?

Why is everyone asking me the same question? Mr. Subhash Ghai is the ideal producer to have. I am very lucky to have a producer who doesn't interfere in any aspect of my making of a film. He may make a suggestion but leaves it to me to do what I wish. I would love to make many more films for Mr. Ghai.

You seem to be a man full of ideas. What are your future plans?

Right now I am only interested in the response to "Bombay to Bangkok' and the making of "Aashayein' and "Tasveer'. The future is aashayein, hopes to make better films. I believe in working hard and then believe in que sera sera, whatever will be will be, the future is what only the future knows.