Shoojit Sircar

“Love is not just defined by making love or kisses or gifts. It is beyond that.”

“Both 'Gulabo Sitabo' and 'Udham Singh' are cinematic experiences; nothing is less, nothing is more. It's all about creating good cinema.”

“The unparalleled love of a mother is always there for the kids, specially when they're growing up and about to leave the family and go away.”

“Making a film on Mary Kom means that people should be watching it across the globe; it should be that level.”

“I never try and send messages through my feature films; it's always naturally woven in and comes through on its own, as that's the way I think about society.”

“I remember I used to play football in my childhood and my team had people from different faiths and backgrounds. It had the son of the person who would take us to the school on his rickshaw or the guy who came to pick up our garbage but I never knew this.”

“Cinema will not go anywhere. We want to watch movies in theaters. Cinema and digital will coexist.”

“'Vicky Donor' is now seen as a case study and the intelligentsias are looking at it from a strong academic point of view. I keep getting calls from medical practitioners who constantly thank me for making this film.”

“'Gulabo Sitabo' is the biggest release for me. The film is going to 203 countries simultaneously and it is successfully being subtitled in 20 languages including Portuguese, German, Spanish, Russian, French and many more.”

“I've done a lot of ad films where an idea can be translated in 30 or 40 seconds. But in a movie, an idea needs to be stretched for two hours, and requires you to draw a bit from your experiences in life.”

“We make films because cinemas exhibit it, and they exhibit as we make films.”

“I try not to shoot unnecessarily or spend on extra expenses that normally happen on a film set - like actors' fees.”

“My set is an open forum. Anybody can comment on anything and I take all suggestions from everyone. I am not rigid. If someone convinces me, I take the suggestion.”

“I had a personal experience of my mum being in comatose state in 2004. I would go to the hospital every day but would not do anything. I would just meet the doctor for five minutes who would update me about her.”

“Once the censorship board clears a film, there should not be any other obstacle for a film's theatrical run.”

“If I had used real names, I don't think 'Madras Cafe' would have ever seen the light of day because it was a political film, an adaptation of a true incident.”

“Normally my films have a single thread of an emotion, an insight or one single belief, and then I turn the entire story and build it around that.”

“I never thought a film about a sperm donor could work with audiences in India, but it did.”

“My major influence is Satyajit Ray; his film 'Shatranj ke Khilari' was set in Awadh and it gave us memorable characters. Ray's musical scores and soundtracks were an intrinsic part of his films. And music to me is important, too.”

“All my films were based on sensitive issues, and they were passed without any problems. I give full credit to the Censor Board for being capable enough to do their work well.”