Why a sports film?
I am a ready reckoner on Indian cricket. I remember the first time I made a commercial film with Kapil Dev, and he was surprised when I rattled off his scores in each and every match that he played.

You have been an ad-filmmaker for two decades. What took you this long to make a feature film?
I was happy in my comfort zone - making 70 commercials a year. I was rather wary of venturing into feature films - it seemed like a big risk. But I have been writing screenplays since 2002 and then parking those in my laptop. My filmmaker friends read my scripts and urged me to turn those into films. And it was only last year that I finally decided to take the plunge.

Yuvraj or Dhoni - whose biopic is Victory?
Victory is entirely a figment of my imagination. It's neither Dhoni's story nor Yuvraj's biopic! It is the journey of a cricketer coming from a small town. It is about the madness that follows his success, about how he acquires a demi-god status and then loses track. The film then shows as to how he gets back. In short, Victory is an authentic insight into a cricketer's life. Now that could be the story of 90 per cent of our cricketing stars, whether it is Sehwag from Najabgarh or Dhoni from Ranchi. Victory is in the same league as Chariots Of Fire, Escape To Victory, Rocky or Someone Up There Likes Me.

Reportedly after watching the promos of Victory, you have been approached for it's remake rights by a US -based studio?
Oh yeah, the promos are being shown with Ghajini and I was told that in Kolkata people gave it a standing ovation. And yes, I have been approached for an English remake of the film, I have also been offered its direction.

What prompted you to cast Harman Baweja in the central role?
I wanted a hero who had no star image and could give me plenty of time to prepare and shoot. While I was looking for a new hero, our producer Manmohan Shetty was producing Love Story 2050 and he recommended Harman for the role. When I met Harman, he looked sporty and also had the rawness about him.

Did Harman have to be trained to bat or is it all an act?
I had to transform Harman into Vijay Shekhawat, the Rajasthan small-town cricketing star. He trained with the Mumbai Ranji team coach Pravin Amre starting with two to five hours daily and finally eight hours. He was bruised and blistered but never gave up. He never lost his focus. So much so that commentator Tony Greig mistook him for a promising new Indian player while dubbing for the commentary.

Looks like tattoo season in B-town: hasn't Harman also got a big tattoo done for the film?
He has a regular tattoo of his name on his forearm as is the tradition in small towns. After he attains stardom, he gets an impressive V - shaped tattoo done on his back. It's a painted tattoo.

Amrita Rao plays a medical student and Harman's love interest in the film. Is it another deglam role for her?
I needed a girl in the cricketer's life, a woman of substance in his life. She plays a medical student from Jaisalmer and she's a revelation in the film.

You used to be an actor once. Are you tempted to act again?
Oh no! I stopped acting in '89. I don't want to act; I just want to make my kind of films. Currently I am concentrating on Victory and may be going to Los Angeles for the remake version.