Quotes from Vikramaditya Motwane

The job of any artiste is to open the eyes of the public to their surroundings and make them aware of it.

Harshvardhan Kapoor is very sincere, somebody who wears his heart on his sleeve.

I take criticism very positively if it's genuine.

Post my parents' divorce, when I was 10, my mother, Deepa Motwane, took up a job as a line producer with documentary filmmaker Shukla Das, who was a cousin of hers. When I was 17, she did a TV talk show and I helped her with research and assisted her as she was also producing that show.

You can be technically strong, and focus all your efforts on elements like casting, music, cinematography and sets, but they are all just add ons. End of the day, filmmaking is really about how well you tell a story.

I've never lived anywhere else in my life, I have a massive love-hate relationship with this city. I grew up in the western suburbs in the '80s and for everything we had to go to south Bombay - so you lived the whole city, in a sense.

My defining moment was when I finally went to Cannes and saw my name along with international filmmakers.

Problems just make me more determined.

I lock myself up in the apartment when I am writing a script. There's no phone, no Wi-Fi, no distractions whatsoever.

I'm willing to fail, my producers are willing to fail, my crew is willing to fail.

I prefer directing to producing as it is far more satisfying.

Of all the films that I have directed, I think 'Lootera' is the one that could have been better.

To be a showrunner and a director is beyond exhausting.

I'm happy Lootera has sparked off a discussion.

You can assist another director and learn the ropes of the craft over the years, but becoming a director is about finding your own voice, so you've got to experiment.

Multiplex cinema culture has created a level-playing field for directors where small budget movies are able to break even, even make profit.

Showrunning is when you're the constant creative voice in the show. For a year-and-a-half, you are working on the scripts, you're fine-tuning them, you're the final say on the edit, the music and the cast.

My forte is editing and I am most experienced in that. I love the challenge of playing with material and imagination while editing.

It does hurt that your parents are not together and they are fighting. Looking back, I grew up a little quicker than I would have normally. I spent half the week with my mom and half with my dad.

I read pretty much every graphic novel I could lay my hands on. Not only 'Batman' or 'Daredevil,' but random ones like 'Black AF' and '100 Bullets.'

I like the films that gain awareness at the end - a sort of breakout moment.

In India, it's tough to shoot a period film outdoors. You cannot find mud roads without wires, signage and billboards with ads of mobile phones even in rural areas.

Making realistic films is basically about the style.

Dystopia is a very interesting setting. Whether it's '1984' or 'Fahrenheit 451'... Dystopia is a wonderfully cinematic setting.