Phadnis says it took him two years to script his debut movie. The challenge was in trying to come up with something different, and unexplored. “I wanted to make a movie which would talk about real concerns. I can promise you this, my movie will not revolve around a make-believe world. Phadnis is scouting around for the right actor for the role: options range from Tabu to Juhi Chawla to several more. Meanwhile, he is busy working on costumes for other films. “So far I have had back-to-back releases, so the work load has been pretty heavy. Welcome has just released and now am looking forward to Sunday,” he says. Up next is Ravi Chopra’s Bhoothnath, with Amitabh Bachchan and Juhi Chawla.

Even though Phadnis is known for his bling ensembles, the designer says he tried to avoid falling into a pattern. “When I did Cheeni Kum, I did not expect anybody to notice Tabu’s costumes because they were so simple and understated. But they were well received. Then, in Welcome, Katrina Kaif’s character demanded a glamorous look. I like working between the two extremes without getting bogged down,” he says.