One afternoon I decided, with a couple of friends, to eat out. We set out hunting for a good restaurant and couldn't find a single place because everything was shut. Finally we had to have idlis at a place and that too at 5 P. M. I didn't know Goa totally shuts down in the afternoon.

I believe that music videos give us an opportunity as actors to play a different character.

What you feel about a film is what you feel when you're in love with a woman. You fight for her love and it's always a struggle... there are misunderstandings and you're always trying to prove that there's more to you.

There's nothing quite like a quiet corner in a coffee shop to gather your thoughts and begin writing.

I write linearly without knowing the full story. I discover it as I write it.

I like to show love in a way that will bring a smile or a tear to viewers.

I write my scripts on a whim, without worrying about plot points and graphs.

Nayakan,' 'Sathya' and 'Thevar Magan' are my biggest influences.

If I am going to be afraid of the criticisms that my films get, I am never going to make films.

The music I listen, the book I read, and the people I meet; these are some things that keeps me going.

Ranbir was my first choice for 'Ek Deewana Tha.' I tried to get in touch in with. Forget about meeting Ranbir. I couldn't even meet his secretary. Yes, even the secretary refused to meet me.

The initial response to 'Yennai Arindhaal' was that it didn't have all the quintessential commercial elements, though I consider it as my most commercial venture.

In everybody's life, there is love, there is sorrow, there is melancholy. And there might be danger as well.

And I'm not homophobic.

I've portrayed cops as heroes for far too long, I think.

Ekk Deewana Tha' will have a surprise ending to watch out for.

It's just that I can write something nice is what motivates me.

Even bigger directors like Mani Ratnam and Ram Gopal Varma have faced flak, that doesn't mean they've shied away from filmmaking.

The industry doesn't usually say nice things about my work. My films take a while till they are accepted as good and I think 'Yennai Arindhaal' too will go through that phase.

One reason why I've taken 11 years to make my second Hindi film is because I am comfortable working with the stars in the South, as they are with me.

All the women close to me - my mother, sister, wife and friends - are strong and independent.

Today, most big stars want scripts to be written in a particular way, show them in a certain light. They want people to like them for various reasons. It's all about how much people will like me in this film than about whether it's a good film or not.

I firmly believe in copyrights and am put off by plagiarism.

Generally, I feel I'm cast aside because of the kind of movies that I make.

Yennai Arindhaal' is perhaps the quickest film in my career.

If my tale has to revolve around a protagonist and there is action around him, I can only imagine him to be someone from the police or the Army.

I understand that bureaucracy, hierarchy and managing politics is not easy.

Most of the romance in my films has been inspired by my father.

When people think I've lost it, I'll make 'Chennaiyil' and show them I've still got it.

I go straight into shooting with a script that's 80 per cent complete and I wait for my characters to grow on me before I finalise the climax.

The only aspect I'd probably change in some of my films is the death of the heroine. I wish I'd kept some of them alive.

If I could talk in only one language for the rest of my life, it'd be Tamil.

I'm not a big fan of fantasy; I'd rather watch 'Desperate Housewives' than 'Game of Thrones.'

How the audience as a collectivity feels about a movie is important.

I don't read the reviews because it somewhere affects my work. If some critic doesn't like a movie, I can't keep his criticisms in mind the next time I am making a film. Even if someone writes a great review about my film, I don't want to be affected by it.

It is in college that one gathers confidence as the mind is open to ideologies.

I think I have made too many cop films.

Yes, I am nervous before a film's release and withdraw into a shell.

In Mumbai, I feel like a stranger.

Vipul Shah wanted me to do the Hindi adaptation of my film 'Kaakha Kaakha.' I declined the offer.

Though I'm happy with the response to the film, I've been hearing the feedback that 'Yennai Arindhaal' has traces of my earlier films. It was meant to be like that. Since it's part of a trilogy, hence the reference to the other two films in the franchise.

The lead character in 'Yennai Arindhaal' is like an extension of the protagonists of 'Kaakha Kaakha' and 'Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu.'

Bollywood is a different ballgame. I am quite used to Tamil and Telugu films.

I would like to make a film in the four South Indian languages.

Even though I love Hindi films, I don't remember any backdrop visuals that are really striking.

You need stars to create the buzz and bring audiences to the cinemas.

I would seriously love to do a Malayalam movie.

I don't like to shoot on sets at all. As much as possible, I try to shoot on location.

I drove past one of the houses in Tiruvanmiyur and asked them if we could shoot there for 'Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya' because it seemed straight out of the pages of the script.

Unless it's a song and something fancy, I would rather shoot on location.