Shaandaar failed miserably. Did that hurt? Everyone gets hurt if their films don’t work. We work hard to make a film and present it to the audience. It’s by us for them. And if they don’t like it, that’s the biggest loss. But I have learnt one thing in all these years from what I have done. That you should not lose out on opportunities because of your fears!

And what are they? Fears are to repeat myself and to focus on the wrong things because the focus should not be result-oriented. The focus should be on the process because if you work in a result-oriented manner, in a profession that’s so unpredictable, you usually become frustrated, unhappy and blame other people for the failures that you go through. Again, when success comes your way, you start behaving like you’re the king of the world. It’s a wrong approach to life. Rather, if you enjoy what you’re doing, then regardless of the result, you would feel satisfied with the experiences that you had while making the movies that you made, the people that you connected with, the journeys that you took, the attempts you made.

It reflects in the line-up of films you have now. Even now, when I’m doing an Udta Punjab or a Rangoon, people are sceptical about those films. Some have even come and told me, “Yeh kya kar raha hai tu?” I feel it’s okay, I will do these films because I believe in them.

Udta Punjab is a film no one was willing to take up. What made you sign it? I felt really passionately about the role I had been offered in Udta Punjaband about the world that the filmmaker wanted to create. I felt this film needed to be made and that it should be made, so I said yes to that film.

How’s Rangoon shaping up? Rangoon is a lot more commercial than Udta Punjab. There’s a lot of time to talk about it because for that, people need to understand the film and for that again, Vishal sir needs to talk about it. He always chooses different worlds and when everybody expects him to make a film similar to his last one, he makes and he changes it. So, Rangoon will be one of those surprises.

It seems to be yet another dark Vishal Bhardwaj film. No. Rangoon isn’t a dark film because it’s a very scaled film and it needs to be very commercial, otherwise it will not be able to justify its budget.

There are rumours that Mira will make her acting debut in your next AK vs SK. Is that true? I am loving all the stuff that I have been reading everywhere. I won’t tell you what’s true and what’s not. Aap log socho. Mira is my wife, she is not an actress.

Any update on the Magadheera remake?I still have not heard the script and no, I haven’t signed the film yet. But if you are asking me whether I have been approached for the film, then yes, they have come to me. But I am yet to sit for a narration.

- Nayanadeep Rakshit
(dnaindia.com)