Sriram Raghavan

“I love songs but am inhibited to have my characters burst out to express themselves through songs. I use the route of using old songs at the right places.”

“My working style is democratic and I want people to be honest with me. Reputation makes everyone agree with your point, which is dangerous for any filmmaker.”

“There's this film called 'The Pledge', with Jack Nicholson in it. Now that's a dark film.”

“My idea is to write a story where every character is well etched out, irrespective of their gender. Because they all are human beings and stories are on the situation and human mind.”

“If I work with Shah Rukh, it will be as an actor, not a star. Whenever I have thought of making a film with some star in mind, I've abandoned the film in a few weeks.”

“We all are scared of bad things... So when you are watching a film, you see your fears on the screen.”

“Hollywood thrillers give away almost 70 percent of the story in promos but still the film remains interesting. In India we do a lot of cuts and put in songs in promos to create an impact.”

“I believe thrillers work if the story is good. It is not easy to make a thriller because the audience is making their own story in their minds as they watch the film. You have to break that expectation and still make them like the film.”

“Badlapur' is a drama, a character-driven story. It is not so much about plot.”

“Unless the movie is about to release, I don't like to be in the limelight. Then I have no choice, but after that you have to get back.”

“When you are working on a real story it is your responsibility to get everything right and stay as true and authentic as possible.”

“I wanted to make films, but the films being made in the 1990s were not my kind. I couldn't break in, and even if I did manage to get a foothold, I didn't know what I would make.”

“As a filmmaker, I want to bring some value, some thought in the mind of my audience. When I embark on the journey of storytelling, I am an explorer.”

“For me, 'Badlapur' is a terrifically emotional film.”

“There are certain actors I think I can approach whenever I am working on something and Shah Rukh is one of those. He's somebody whom I'd love to work with.”

“Ever since my first film, I had more producers than scripts. And I've realised that a certain project requires a certain kind of producer for it to be made well.”

“I have never had the problem of finding a producer for my films. I think I am just lucky because my first film didn't do great box office business.”

“I'm not a social person. I don't like parties. I like small groups, we discuss ideas in my office.”

“With 'Agent Vinod', there was a lot of chaos with schedules and the film took a year and a half to shoot.”

“'Badlapur' was my first film that did well, commercially. People have also watched the other films that I have made, but they didn't bring in the footfall.”