What are you directing next? There are two films I want to do. Broken Horses, which I have finished writing, and then, I want to do a film called Pachaasvi Saalgirah in India. Broadly speaking, you can call Broken Horses a gangster film. I am going back to that genre now. I have had too much of comedies. I haven't cast it yet. It took me two and a half years to write it. You have been accused of being a bad paymaster. Comment. I don't know who is saying this... let's go back to Munnabhai MBBS, the first film I produced. The day I released the film, we were minus four-to-five crores, and that day, Raju was paid Rs 11,000. That was not for Munnabhai. I told him, 'This is the money for your next film.' As the money came in, he got paid 11 lakhs, then 21 lakhs, then 50 more lakhs, and finally 1 crore and 11 lakhs. For a first-time director, I don't think that is bad. Now let's go to Abhijat Joshi, writer for Lage Rago Munnabhai. His father was in the ICU of Ahmedabad. I sent him a cheque of Rs 1 crore and his father was out of that hospital in two days. For 3 Idiots, he got twice of what he got for Lago Raho... tell me which writer gets paid that much? I'm not sure... you must check with Raju, but I think he was paid about 10-15 crores for Lage Raho...u00a0 Am I still a bad pay master? Fantastic. Mr Bachchan, as you know got a car from me worth four crores (a Bentley) for Eklavya. No car for Aamir? (laughs) No, he is already getting too much. Your three-film contract with Hirani is now over. Worried? I have no legal contract with Hirani. I have never done any so-called contractual obligation with anybody. Even in 3 Idiots, I had no legal contract with Mr Aamir Khan. Not one piece of paper. But I am pretty certain that he will get much more from this film than he has ever got in any film ever. I really like the way I work. I like my office. There are three people who work here. I don't have ten assistants. Once I went on the sets of Sanjay Bhansali -- who worked with me for ten years -- and I saw ten assistants. I asked him, 'Yeh karte kya hain?' I am very clear in life. Why would I tie someone to my company? I came to this city to make one film. And look where I am today. What more could I ask for? The lifestyle that I have is such -- with all the money I have -- I would never be able to finish even what I have. Even now, I travel business class. Now in front of you I was telling someone to get my ticket done on the miles I have collected. I've never knowingly exploited anyone. Public mere baare main kya kehta hai, I have never really cared. Finally, I live with myself.u00a0 Have you forgiven SRK for trying to steal Hirani? Totally forgiven. Dil se, forgiven. I was very angry, which means that I am real. I am a man from a village, I don't know how to hide my emotions. I will never go to anyone I am angry with and be nice to him, even if he is the PM of this country. I will be myself. Bahut gussa aaya tha. Khatam bhi ho gaya. If anyone hurts me, I tell that person, 'Yaar tune yeh theek nahin kiya.' Phir khatam. You can't hold on to it and sit. So, it's possible that SRK does a film for your banner someday? Absolutely. His kids and mine go to the same school. And every time I see him, I look at him from every angle and think, 'Yaar, yeh uss role mein theek lagega.' Is there a possibility of any actor besides Sanjay Dutt playing Munnabhai? It's too early to say anything. I want to go on making the Munnabhai films till the day I die. Hopefully, I will liveu00a0 another thirty years. So if I am going to make that film again and again, then somewhere down the years, I might take Ranbir Kapoor or Shahid Kapoor. Who knows... Munnabhai is a fantastic character. I love him. What Munnabhai and 3 Idiots have done, is change lives. My own daughter was in a marketing school in Pune. She has now quit that and has joined some dancing classes. My life is changing because of this movie. (Laughs) I caught my daughter with her hand on her heart saying, "All is well, all is well" because she had a history exam the next day. You were upset when Sanjay used the Munnabhai character to campaign for a political party. True? Yes, I was upset. I will also be upset tomorrow if Aamir uses Rancho's character from 3 Idiots to become a politician. But why? I've written these characters with love and affection. They have changed lives. You cannot and must not use themu00a0 to promote yourself. Aamir can sell a TV or whatever he sells as Aamir Khan but not as Rancho. SRK can sell any product but if I make Munnabhai with Shah Rukh Khan, he cannot say, 'Main Munnabhai, aap ko yeh bechne ke liye aaya hoon' that is not right. I told Sanjay that. The characters that you write seem to be a little like you. That's true. I was thrown out of classes in film school because I asked a question that the professor didn't like. You know I am a failure from the film institute? They didn't give me a diploma. (Scoffs) They gave me a diploma when I became a governing counselling member. When I got nominated for the Oscar's, they said, 'Arre yaar, isko toh pass karna padega.' You're a recluse of sorts. Why? I can't even hear the noise outside my office, as I have put up double glass. I write at night. I work here till four in the morning. I start my day around 12. Then I have lunch, and sleep, every afternoon for an hour. Then I go to my other office for one hour where my accounts are. I don't have a TV in my house. I don't read newspapers. Just the National Herald Tribune to see what is going on in the world. That's it... Now you know the secret of my happiness.

The usually reclusive Vidhu Vinod Chopra on letting his work speak for itself

Not just 'shut up!' Part 2

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Not just 'shut up!' Part 2

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