Why an animation film for your directorial debut?
I’ve always been an animation film buff and watch almost any film I can lay my hands on. When Aditya Chopra, who is a close friend, wanted to produce an animation film he asked me to give ideas and from the several I gave him, he liked my story on dogs.

What inspired you to write a story on dogs?
One day at a traffic signal, I saw these stray dogs rummaging through the garbage and then dropping everything to chase a man on a scooter. It was so amusing that I thought it would be interesting to make an animation film on them!

How different is making an animation film from a regular one?
There are a lot of special effects in animation films, otherwise both have a story to tell.

What’s the story of Roadside Romeo like?
It’s like a typical Hindi masala film with boy and girl falling in love and a villain as well!

How long did it take to make Roadside Romeo?
It took me six months to work on the script and another two-and-a-half years to make it.

What was the most enjoyable part of making the film?
I enjoyed the process of writing the script where I would stage the scenes myself while writing it! I was also very tickled when artistes in the animation studio would pencil-sketch my characters.

How long did it take you to convince Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor to dub for the film?
A few minutes! This was the first time our actors were dubbing for an animation film and they were very excited!

Are you disappointed that your acting career didn’t take off?
I enjoy direction too and making Roadside Romeo was great fun. But I won’t deny that I would love to act in films as well!

What are your expectations from RR?
If it goes down well with the kids, my film will be a hit!