Tinnu, do you ever think that you are the man who was responsible for making Amitabh Bachchan who they say is the greatest ever legends in Indian Cinema?

I would not dare to take credit for anything to do with my friend Amitabh Bachchan's success. All I can claim is that I introduced him to my Guru, Abbas Sahab who gave him his first break in "Saat Hindustani'. All that has happened to him and is still happening after so many years is all because of one man and his devotion to his work, the man called Amitabh Bachchan. He is the only man responsible for making him what he is today.

You had the privilege of directing him in some very important films.

Amitabh was good and kind enough to work under my direction. I really don't know why he agreed to do four major films with me which will always be remembered by me because he made all my major ambitions as a director come true. I don't think the same films would be what they are without a colossus of an actor like him.

There was a time when Amitabh Bachchan took a break as an actor. He is said to have told you that you would be among the first directors he would with whenever he started acting again.

We were always in touch during the time he had taken a sabbatical. It was a time when he was not even considering offers. I just narrated some subjects to him and he seemed to like them. He said he would work in films directed by me whenever the right time came.

Times have changed, Amitabh came back to films. He started his own company ABCL and you were among the first directors the company signed to direct "Major Sahab'.

I felt very honored to make a film for my friend's company. "Major Sahab' was a very big film to make and I was aware of my responsibility.

Did something go wrong during the making of the film?

I fell very sick during the most crucial period of the making of the film. Some other things went wrong because they were beyond any one's control. I still can't find reasons why the film did not receive the kind of appreciation it should have after all the labor and efforts put in by the entire team.

Something seems to have gone wrong after "Major Sahab'. Amitabh signed new directors and you were his best friend and you did not figure out in the list of his directors.

I have still not given up hope. He is the "shahanshah'. He has the absolute right to take his own decisions. I have a great desire t make a film with him again. I don't know if my ambition will be fulfilled and it sometimes puzzles me and even gives me reason to do some re-thinking about myself.

You were an assistant working with the legendary Satyajit Ray. Why have you not been able to prove that you are his disciple?

It is very difficult to answer this question in just a few words. I had the great privilege of working with the master. I have always wanted to try and make a film like one of his films. But everyone cannot be a ray, not even a shadow of him. I never found the opportunity to make the find of films he made and as time passed his kind of films were losing their charm on the new kind of audience that had come up.

Your father, Inder Raj Anand was one of the most successful writers of Hindi films. Did you ever find your father in you somewhere?

Not every son of a famous parent can follow in his father's footsteps. Not everyone can be another Inder Raj Anand. I have learned whatever I have from my father and my gurus like my father's friends Mr. Ray and Abbas Sahab.

You have been a part of this industry all your life, what are the changes that you have noticed?

The entire industry has changed, the way films are made has changed, the kind of directors and writers have changed, the quality of technicians and artists has changed. The industry is taking rapid strides. My only grouse is the lack of good subjects. When will we have great writers who can come up with great subjects to save this industry.

You are not being heard of in recent times both as a director and as an actor.

As I told you, the director in me is still waiting in hope for the right time. As far as the actor is concerned, every actor has his ups and downs. If my friend, Amitabh can be the most popular actor at sixty-six, I feel I too have to prove it as an actor and will.

How do you see the future?

I have always been an optimist. I see hope and I feel everyone must have hope because hope is the only solution for all the major worries we have. The industry has always thrived on hope and I join the optimist in the industry in hoping for a much more bright future for this industry which I love with my whole life.