'I am not very talented as a director'

After the success of Jhankar Beats, director Sujoy Ghosh is back with Home Delivery. Patcy N caught up with him to find out more about the cast, his method of working and forthcoming projects. Excerpts from an interview.

Your first movie Jhankar Beats did well. Why did the next take two years to make?

There are a lot of reasons. Writing the script takes six to eight months. Then, you find the right actors, a producer who is willing to back you. In my case, it took a little more time because I had other projects in mind. I wanted to make an English film, for instance, which didn't materialise.

Mahima's gyan for married women

More on rediff.com! Big B undergoes surgery 'Apaharan is better then Gangaajal' Hollywood's Highest Paid Women

Is it a conscious decision to only direct films you have written?

Yes. I do it because I am not very talented as a director, so I have to live with my characters to know them. At this stage, I am very comfortable writing my own scripts. But I may have a writer in future.

Home Delivery is not a comedy. When I thought of making it, my biggest obstacle was Jhankar Beats. I wanted to make a comedy, but not another Jhankar Beats. You can't keep doing the same thing. Everything I do will always have humour as a backbone, but this more of an emotional film than a comedy.

It is about a man (Viveik Oberoi) who is taught a lesson by life. He is fully engrossed in himself and thinks he knows everything. One day, he takes on too much and messes it all up. He is a jack of all trades, and master of none. The final nail in the coffin comes when he orders lunch. It sets off a series of incidents that change him. The movie is set between one afternoon and the next.

Why Vivek remembers Goebbels

There are obviously lots of options for each role, but you go to each actor and it depends on whether they like it or not. For example, Juhi Chawla was supposed to play Mahima's role, but she had a lot of other commitments. Still, she did a smaller role, which was very nice of her. I had Viveik in my mind but, if he had to refuse, I would have gone to Abhishek Bachchan or Akshay Khanna. Everything depends on whether the actors have dates.

It is not an easy task. I am doing something I am not qualified to because I have to first write a story, then a screenplay. Unfortunately, we are still not in the mode of adapting literature, which I hope to do one day. Yes, we do have Parineeta and Devdas and they are very good, but the kind of literature I want to adapt doesn't really fit into the commercial scheme of things. I want to adapt good Bengali literature, because I can read and write in that language.

You will be surprised to see her work. Mahima is one of the biggest surprises in the movie. I personally feel she is a tremendous actress. Other than Juhi, she is the person I look to for good comic timing. Also, I know her more like a friend than anything. When I cast Rahul Bose for Jhankar Beats, there were many who told me not to as he is considered an intense actor. But I knew Rahul personally and he is the funniest person to be around. He delivered.

We wanted a voice with a lot of attitude and I felt there was nobody bigger than him. Yes, Amitabh Bachchan, but he is beyond my reach. When we approached Duttsaheb, he agreed immediately.

Yes, it is. While Karan was on my set, he behaved like an actor. I did ask him to direct my movie though, telling him it would be a super hit if he did.

Nothing is a distraction. It is a Viveik Oberoi movie and remains one.

I only did a special appearance in My Brother Nikhil. Rahul Bose conned me into doing the other one. I am not interested in acting. I am scared. I am envious of people who can act because it is a very hard job.

If this film is well received, I will get another project. I would love to make a children's movie next and already have a story in mind. I would also like to have Mr Bachchan in it. I grew up watching his movies so, wherever I make a film, I always have him in mind.