The intensity in your first film Shool (Manoj Bajpai, Raveena Tandon) has been missing in your subsequent films. What’s gone wrong?

It was a conscious attempt at doing something different. After making Shool, which was such an intense film, I wanted to make something light-hearted, a simple love story or a romantic comedy.

I didn’t want to be labelled a director who only makes intense hard-hitting films. So, I made Love Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega. After that I wanted a film that would make money at the box office. After all, I am from the south where I grew up watching heroic films (laughs). So Dum happened. After that I made Bardaasht which didn’t do well at all.

Was it the failure of Bardaasht that set you back? Because you haven’t had a release since 2004...

No it was a deliberate break. I wanted to do a reality check on myself. I was sick and tired of people calling me a technically accomplished director. I wanted my films to be successful. I wanted to analyse what was going wrong in my films.

Also, after Bardaasht, I didn’t have any script with me. I didn’t sit idle. I started writing two scripts, one of which went on to become My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves and the other too is almost complete now, called De Taali. I also started making commercials. I just wanted to have an experience in ads.

With My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves do you want box-office glory or critical acclaim?

See, at the end of the day I am most bothered about public opinion. If the public enjoys the film, that is the most satisfying thing for any director. But in this movie, there is no star in the lead. So I don’t know whether the film will get a good opening or not when it releases this Friday. It’s a good product and whoever sees the film won’t be disappointed.

Did producers back out because you wanted to work with a newcomer like Nikhil Dwivedi?

The reason I have had to produce the film myself is because nobody bought my idea. They all wanted stars. Everybody said, you have such a wonderful script... why don’t you make it with the stars?

So why didn’t you make the film with stars?

Once I finished the script, I was convinced that My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves could only be made with a newcomer. He cannot have an image. See, the theme of my film is “ordinary man, extraordinary dreams”. It’s about a very ordinary guy, who wants to be a superstar. Now we all have a pre-conditioned image of a hero. He should be of a certain height, he should look good, he should have a good voice. We are like Bollywood hero boley toh aisa hona chahiye... But Anthony is an ordinary man. So the new face adds a lot of freshness to the narrative.

So you turned down financing for your hero?

Yes, I have put everything at stake for this film. I am launching a new boy. I am launching myself as a producer. I am returning as director after four years. The film has to work.

You have maintained that Mithun Chakraborty is the trump card in your film.

Yes, Mithunda has come up with a fantastic performance in the film. He is playing a priest to whom Anthony goes and confesses everything. It’s like a father-and-son relationship between both of them. And there is a surprise item for Mithunda fans at the end of the film.

Why did Shah Rukh decide to support your film?

Shah Rukh and I have known each other since our school days. When I decided to produce the film myself, I wanted some production expertise to off-load some of the work from my shoulders. So Shah Rukh agreed to be the line producer for the film. His Red Chillies team came in and helped the production.

He has also been promoting the film in a major way...

Yes, he has liked whatever bits and pieces he has seen of the film.

Would you say that My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves will bring the Shool glory back to you?

It is Shool with a light-hearted approach. It is a proper cinematic journey. You will go through all the emotions as you watch the film.