I am an absolute atheist.

A true artist is one who, even after doing a lot, he reminds himself that he hasn't done anything.

Questioning authority can hardly be called our national pastime. We even make a philosophy out of fear. Fatalism, destiny, karma... are the favourite cultural holes we hide in when authority flogs us. And what's our tragedy.

'Citylights' is for those people who know a lot but don't feel at all. It's time for them to feel, and this film will make those people, who know so much, feel because feeling is the life blood of human race, which is disappearing.

My mother was a Muslim and dad a Hindu. I got the best upbringing that anyone could. Never did I see any angst in my family owing to that: each practiced their own religion. My existence is the harmony that these two communities can achieve if they try.

I believe that, at times, if some of us are almost too critical of our society, it's because our sensitivity and our concern for justice makes us aware that our nation falls terribly short of its highest potential.

There is a child in every man, and that's why larger-than-life stories which have a fairly tale component will work.

Campaigning for Congress is an issue of conviction, and there is no element of any personal gain in it.

I love working with newcomers.

The tragedy of India is that the Mahatma, who has numerous streets named after him and has had his statues put up everywhere, who's there in our school books and on our currency, who is used by everyone to hardsell his political ideology, is not emulated in India.

A person doesn't only give money to watch a film: he also gives his time.

I love people who have distinctive, unique personalities who are not in assembly lines and have something to offer.

I feel it is the believers who are most dangerous for the secular framework of a nation.

We work without stars, and we proudly proclaim it. People come to Vishesh Films to work with us, and not because we can create a star.

Films have to appeal to youngsters - it has to have tamasha, drama, and sensationalism.

I was born on September, 20, 1948, to Nanabhai Bhatt, a Hindu, and Shirin Mohammed Ali, a Muslim. I was born after three daughters and followed by a daughter and son.

We as men, need to give the Indian women all the strength that she needs, rightfully asking to be able to walk with head held high.

I think one of the basest of all things is fear. Fear erodes the individual. Fear erodes the nation, the spine of the nation.

I felt it was a privilege that I came from such a rich background. I had the best of both worlds. My mother was a Shia Muslim, while my father was a janoi-clad man. He never pretended to be secular.

'Zakhm' has no political agenda. But, it certainly says things as they are.

If the story-teller is to nourish the roots of his culture, society must set him free to follow his vision wherever it takes him.

I personally feel that religion should be kept private.

I am a people's person. I consume people.

I love to inspire and get inspired.

A long and productive career in the world of films is bound to be checkered with success and failures. You cannot have one without the other; the only way not to make a flop is not to make a film.

'Zakhm' was my last film as a director.

India was going though a difficult time in 1997. We had revolving door governments.

It's only a big man who makes you feel big.

Life experiences cannot be learnt on the film set or in front of the camera.

Vijay Anand's death marks the passing away of a true, original mind. Vijay had charisma and cinematic dazzle. He was the first who gave Indian film directors the status of a star.

There is no one idea of India, but ideas of India.

Cinema is not part of my entertainment.

It's always better to make a hero than lean on one. My goal is to emulate China in the filmmaking business, not Los Angeles.

I have only an appetite for masochistic truth, and only box-office collection figures interest me.

When the film industry moves to the 21st century, there should be no doubt in anyone's mind that the money used in film-making is clean and devoid of any underworld connections.

The Congress may have made mistakes, but their ideology is not wrong.

I can be unhappy with the Congress, but I cannot give up on its ideology.

Life continues, irrespective of whether we are there or not.

I was a dreamer, and thank God for that!

I am what this country dreams of achieving: a perfect example of composite India.

The narratives in which you're born have a fierce pattern of repetition.

In a country like India, with an ever-changing demography, adaptability is the most important attribute to survive in the industry.

Making a film is very gratifying and intoxicating. It does great things to your self-esteem, but pushing people and mentoring them to their full potential is far more fulfilling.

Every five years, there is a shift in cinema space, but we are slow to catch that. Young people understand that shift.

One needs strong performance to put across a point in theatre.

It's extremely important that plays reflect contemporary times and should not just be about asking for social change without having any connect with the audience.

It would be false if I claim that the Congress has in the past not let down its ideology, especially pertaining to Muslim community.

'Hamari Adhuri Kahani' is a very emotional perspective on a traditional Indian woman.

I have made more good films than anyone else in the country.

I am in the business of entertainment.