Quotes

Aamir Khan and I were supposed to do a Hollywood film together in the wake of Lagaan, but both of us are not the kind to strategise proposals. Cinema has to come from the heart. It has to move to you, matter to you; to an extent that it haunts and hunts you, like Swades did for me to plunge headlong. I have an agent in Los Angeles and he is upset because he has sent me so many proposals over the years and I have refused everything. He often asks me if I am serious about an international project because he doubts my intentions. I tell him I cannot be rushed or pushed into a proposal. I have to follow my rhythm and heart. He is feeling frustrated because I'm refusing to make a trip to LA. He argues that everything cannot be done via email. It can't but right now I am not going anywhere because my heart is set in my country.

Patriotism for me is not something in competition with an outsider but something within myself. Why is that our patriotism is only restricted to the one-day of matches of India and Pakistan or war at Kargil? In our day-to-day life we have no qualms of jumping traffic lights, messing with public property and abusing our rights. I'm not choosing these subjects because I want to project myself noble. I'm making the film because I want to highlight the indignity of human existence.

I have a studied theory, which is that all of us essentially originate from the same village. It's over the passage of time that we have migrated to metropolis and overseas.

Films must entertain but also leave something behind with the audience.

The grammar of making a movie and, as far as I can tell, the process is the same be it in America or India.The difference lies in the marketing.

I have a studied theory, which is that all of us essentially originate from the same village. It's over the passage of time that we have migrated to a metropolis and overseas.