A biography for Zoya Akhtarhasn’t been written yet.
“At the end of my life, I want to have a body of work that has everything.”
“Writing is my main interest; it is where my heart is. I always want to continue writing. Apart from that, I enjoy casting and hopefully want to direct too.”
“I mean tomorrow if I want to make a film about a queen that lived in the 15th century, I can't be like I can't make it. I should be able to make it.”
“As a director the first level of management is people. You have to deal with about 100 creative egos and make sure they subscribe to your vision and give you their best.”
“But if you can empathise with a character and if you can emotionally resonate with that character and understand their emotional journey, I think you are home.”
“When you colonise someone's dream, that's the worst thing you can do.”
“Don't try to be anyone else because that's been done before. Find yourself and what makes you tick.”
“Films like 'Scarface', 'The Godfather', 'Goodfellas' and 'Casino' are something I can watch again and again and from anywhere. I love them so I have to make one.”
“Films were always a passion for me but it was when I saw 'Salaam Bombay' that I decided that it was film direction that I was interested in. That is when I decided I wanted to direct films.”
“I come from a space where I wouldn't say all, but most of the films have really shortchanged women. I don't mean just the actresses, even just depicting us in that culture.”
“At 19, while studying at St Xavier's College and majoring in literature and sociology, I got my first job as a copywriter. It was at a company called the Script Shop.”
“So at 19, I faced my first blank page as a professional writer.”
“I want to make a period film, I want to make a film set in another country. I want to make a foreign film. I want to make everything eventually. I am a storyteller. I have many stories to tell.”
“I write my films with Reema Kagti, and I think all the characters that I have written, somewhere or the other, reflect my thoughts, ideology and morality.”
“I have learnt not to ignore instincts. While making a film, when your gut feels that you are going wrong, please take that seriously.”
“I have to have a story I really want to tell, and then it makes sense to put things out there. So if you see, 2018 was again crazy for me. I did 'Lust Stories', 'Made in Heaven' and 'Gully Boy'.”
“When it comes to writing characters, whether men or women, I think a good writer writes good characters. I know many men who, for years, have written strong, progressive women characters.”
“I only drink wine, beer, and champagne. I've never had hard liquor, I've never had a whiskey drink in my life. I just don't like it.”
“We were allowed to make mistakes. I mean that is a real privilege, to be able to go your own way, find your voice, just have a support system that allows you to do all that.”
“We need to develop artists who are not just scoring films. I'm hoping 'Gully Boy' can help with that.”