Hope & A Little Sugar is your ninth big-screen outing, any Friday jitters this time?
I may have been there before so many times, still it is as nerve-wracking everytime. Even though the film was well-received in the festival circuit the world over, theatrical release is definitely the real test. It will be interesting to see how the ticket-buying audience reacts to the film.

You are known for making quickies, however Hope... has been in the making for years now. What took so long to wrap up a film which is only 90-minute long?
On the contrary this is my quickest quickie, it was shot in 25 days. But the post production took a good 6-8 months. The American editing system is very meticulous - they show the cuts to best audience, take notes and re-edit it and since I was in India, they were there and they would screen it for me through protected web sites , I used to make notes and they used to re-edit accordingly. It was exhaustive because as a director you tend to get impatient nonetheless it was an interesting process to learn from and I am very satisfied with the final shape that the movie took with the cross-cultural sensibilities.
The festival circuit took up all of last year and am I relieved that it’s releasing in India finally.

You share the writing credit with American co-writer, what were his inputs like?
The script is entirely mine but the US co-writer has checked it for authenticity because I didn’t live through the 9/11 episode, I was doing it out of my imagination entirely. We incorporated changes accordingly.

You have opted for a non-star cast, that’s quite a coup.
This was a project where the right casting was the key, big names didn’t matter since it was essentially aimed at a global audience. I first cast Anupam Kher and he was a known face to the producers since they knew him from the ER series and Bend It Like Beckham. Since I had worked with Mahima on Filmstar, I knew she was per-fectly suited for the role. Suhasini Mulay, who isn’t a Punjabi but speaks the language like a native was a complete revelation and Vikram Chatwal being a Sikh New Yorker was the obvious choice for the role.
As for newcomer Amit Sial, he’s a theatre person and had the requisite intensity and yet a lost person look in New York.

Which was the most challenging shot to be filmed?
I think ‘on the bridge’ shot which shows people running helter-skelter after the collapsing towers. I had to bring out the horrific impact without showing the actual tragedy. It was a challenge to replicate the trauma.

How much are you inspired by the famous film Chocolat?
Not really! Hope... isn’t as similar to Chocolat as I would have liked to. Chocolat has a magical element to it, while mine’s just a mithai parlour and a florist shop which sells Hope & A Little Sugar.

Yet again, you make a chick flick!
The main character in the film is the Muslim boy’s. He falls in love with a Sikh widow. However, it is impossible for me to make movies where women serve a decorative purpose. Mahima’s character is the pillar of the story, no doubt.

Have the corporates come in as big daddies for filmmakers like you who like to defy the formula?
With the advent of corporates and multiplexes, the demand for innovative products has increased manifold, but everything is still star-based. Corporatisation sadly hasn’t been able to change this basic philosophy. We haven’t been liberated from the star-system. I have good feelers from some good houses , let’s wait and watch now.

Haven’t you been approached by Vidhu Vinod Chopra Productions?
Vidhu and I have been talking about it for a while, we have yet to arrive at a mutually approved script. We are individual minded about the films we make. Being relatives, we always discuss films that we make.

Don’t you miss your alma mater, Vishesh films and the Bhatts?
I am very much in touch with the Bhatts. I love Mahesh Bhatt and I love him very much. He was a judge at one of the contests we organised for casting youngsters in Hope... What I miss about them is that they are very liberal minded and they like to encourage new ideas.