Filmmaking happened to me quite by coincidence. I had made a telefilm called Chocolate. The producers loved it and wanted me to make it into a film. Soon after that Ronnie Screwvala got in touch and asked me whether I wanted to work on something big. And that was how Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal happened.

Directing Goal was a major turning point in my career. It put me in the big league straightaway. Today I find that success gives you the freedom to do the kind of work that you want to do. But on the other hand, it also raises expectations.

I have always been associated with theatre and have assisted many directors including Barry John. I have also made a number of ad films for companies like Procter & Gamble and Godrej and also directed serials like X-Zone and Ye Kahan Aa Gaye Hum for Zee TV. So I had always been involved in directing. Filmmaking was just an extension of my role as a director.

Meeting Pallavi Joshi — who is now my wife — was another significant moment of my life. She exposed me to the world of movies. When we met, she was doing a lot of interesting projects with some big names in the industry. I had always looked down upon movies and Bollywood, but Pallavi showed me the brighter side of it. So far, the experience has been both good and bad. It is a little frustrating at times, but then again, movie-making is a wonderful experience because it gives you a medium to express yourself.

At the moment, I am making a film which is a biopic dealing with India in between 1975-2000 and how the moral fabric of the country has changed over these years. I have also acquired the world rights of the 1957 classic, 12 Angry Men, and am adapting it for the Indian screen. The movie will star the 12 best actors of our times.

(As told to Promita Mukherjee)