How would you react to criticisisms of your starry song?
I don’t have to say anything because they ended up looking foolish. But at the same time, probably there is a section that considers boring and dark films as aesthetic. Had they been around in the ’70s, they would have trashed Sholay.

Did OSO benefit from its so-called hyped rivalry with Saawariya?
I think Saawariya benefited from the rivalry. But, since the two films clashed on the same day, we promoted OSO more aggressively than otherwise and that has certainly helped.

What do you think of Ranbir and Sonam Kapoor?
I loved both of them in Saawariya. It’s entirely Ranbir’s film, and Sonam too looked very good. Though the film hasn’t done well, it has done some good to the youngsters. I’d certainly consider them if I ever have roles for them in any of my future films.

Do you plan to cast Shah Rukh Khan in all your movies?
People ask the same question to me and Karan (Johar). Why not? When the whole world is dying to work with him, why shouldn’t we cast him if he is keen to act for us? I have told him even if he doesn’t like any of my script in the future, he has to be associated in some capacity, may be as producer.

People say it’s Shah Rukh Khan who has the last word in your films, even though you are the director.
It’s a collective effort. Shah Rukh is a great producer and when it comes to the creative aspects, he takes keen interest in the action sequences and special effects. After writing the entire script and dialogue, I narrate it to him and together we improvise.

Have you learned any lessons from the Manoj Kumar episode?
Yes, that I should add a disclaimer to all my films saying all characters are fictitious. Manojji probably belongs to a generation that doesn’t take jokes sportingly. However, now everything is fine between us and we even chat on the phone sometimes.