To an outsider, it may seem that a film’s box-office performance weighs heavily on a filmmaker’s mind. But Anubhav Sinha insists that a story’s commercial outcome is rarely an urgent concern for a director. Sinha, whose last release Assi earned just over R11 crore at the box office, tells mid-day that conversations around money lose relevance with time.

“Years later, it doesn’t matter how much money did Satya [1998] or Chandni [1989] or a Lamhe [1991] make. Lamhe was a flop [back then]. But today, it is a hit. Ra.One was a flop in 2011,” he says. Today, however, the Shah Rukh Khan-led superhero actioner continues to draw praise, particularly for its visual effects.