Everyone has a Milkha Singh in them.

When I take up a film, I always think of the effect it will have on my children when they see the film years later.

In any case, I am not a great one to make plans for the future.

A break-up between couples is traumatic for everyone.

My sister Zoya and I have been exposed to the best of cinema of all kinds - Chinese, Japanese, Italian, etc.

Being a parent to my daughters, son to my parents, and friends to many people, I would wish for a society that's fair to everyone, that's free of prejudice and as non-divisive as possible.

If you had a fabricated story coming out every two weeks or every month, it would affect you. You would be like, 'What's the problem with people?' or 'Why can't they let me be?' And that's the thought that comes into anyone's mind.

I think nothing can be taken for granted - be it the fact that you get to work with a certain kind of talent, certain kinds of budgets, or that the audience looks forward to your work.

As the director, you are the organiser who has to have all the answers. You are the person with maximum clarity.

Filmmaking, whatever the window dressing or the scale of a film may be, is eventually about telling a story.

I remember so clearly as a kid, my biggest problem in life was I used to never follow up on anything.

Work does affect my personal life, as it consumes most of my time. It takes away a lot from my family time.

Whether it is crimes against women, whether it's discrimination against women, whether it's just social bias against women - these things should be anomalies; they should not be the norm.

When I watched Guru Dutt's films, they just blew my mind.

I usually play volleyball three times a week.

It does not feel any different being directed by a first-timer as long as I am convinced that the director is passionate about the film he or she is making. If you get a sense of their vision for the film and their aesthetics of your performance, then it does not matter whether you work with a new or an experienced director.

I love travelling, especially to Goa.

You have to be grateful for what you have, but you're always pushing further.

The more time you have, you should dedicate it to do creative work.

Every director has a sensibility and style, and what works is his originality and conviction.

The first time I re-discovered the joy of watching an action movie was when I saw 'Die Hard.' It was a completely simple plot - a guy goes to meet his wife, and the building gets taken over by terrorists - but I was completely blown away. Great characters, and it moved along really fast.

I was very focused when I wanted to make 'Dil Chahta Hai,' though it was difficult for me to convince people that I know how to make films and I will be able to direct and put a film together.

Apart from the highs and lows of when your film releases, there's a strange, addictive quality that making a film has because of all that drama. There's so much that goes on, and we miss it when it's over.

Indian food beats everything else, in my book. The kinds of cuisine our country offers is just amazing. Every single dish has a variation depending on what region you go to, and that excites me the most about Indian food.