Irrfan and Konkona Sen Sharma in DeadlineRajit Kapoor, Konkona and child artiste Jhanak in DeadlineTanveer Khan

lDespite the critical acclaim, why do you think your directorial debut Madhoshi (John Abraham-Bipasha Basu) didn’t work?

Once a film flops you have to take it out of your mind. Of course you should be conscious enough not to repeat the mistakes made. Looking back at Madhoshi, I am just thankful to Indra Kumar for giving me my first break. The fate of a film depends on the Almighty. We can just work hard and apply our sensibilities as film-makers.

lBut don’t you find it unfair that while Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara and 15, Park Avenue were hailed so highly, you were the first to have dealt with schizophrenia…

I call Madhoshi a psychological reality. All the other schizophrenia films came much after it. I believe I created awareness through the film about the disease on a commercial platform.

lWith Deadline you have moved on to a more commercial subject with non-commercial actors…

Deadline is a razor-edged edge-of-the-seat thriller. I love thrillers and I even plan to make another one after this. In Deadline too, like I did with Madhoshi, I am dealing with a big issue, a major message. I am aware that a lot of films have been made on abduction and kidnapping but you haven’t seen anything like this before.

lHow much of the plot can you divulge?

To put it simply, there is a borderline and there are two parties on the two sides. On one side there is a doctor, played by Rajit Kapoor, his loving wife, played by Konkona Sen Sharma, and their eight-year-old daughter. On the other side there are three criminals, played by Irrfan, Sandhya Mridul and Zakir Hussain who have kidnapped the child... It’s about 24 hours and a ransom of Rs 3 crore. So there is whole lot of emotional turmoil that all the characters go through.

lHow could you manage to rope in such a talented ensemble cast?

At the script level itself, I had these actors in mind. They were not only my first choice for each of the characters but they were my only choices. And they all loved the story. It was kind of God’s blessing.

lHaving worked with both stars like John and Bipasha and actors like Irrfan and Konkona, what difference do you find in them?

No difference really. Despite being huge stars, John and Bipasha were very disciplined. They did what they had to in Madhoshi as per their calibre. Take Bipasha for example. Before that she was only called a “sex symbol” but she shed all that in Madhoshi and emerged as a strong actress. My Deadline cast, of course, is known for a different brand of cinema, with roles having meat and potential.

lIrrfan and Konkona haven’t come together before…

What do I say about them? Konkona is not only a talented actor, she is such a loveable and adorable person. Ekdum kamaal hai! I would like to work with her again and again and again. Irrfan is, well, Irrfan. Also, the likes of Rajit Kapoor and Zakir Hussain are from a strong theatre background and they work from their heart. Dil se aake rooh tak pahunchti hai…

lWhy was Deadline lying in the cans for so long?

That’s a misconception really. We finished the film only in May and then we had this one screening for possible distributors. Three big corporate houses loved the film and there was a literal betting between them as to who will get the rights. Finally, Percept Picture Company grabbed the movie as we felt they were the strongest to explore and exploit Deadline. We were in no hurry to release the film. Percept has done a great marketing campaign and there is a strong buzz around the film, not only in Mumbai, but in other metros too.

lWhat about the fight for the title with Prakash Jha?

We did have a problem since the title Deadline was registered with Prakashji. But when we explained to him how crucial and appropriate the title is for our film, he was gracious enough to give it up.

lApna Sapna Money Money…? and Vivah also release this Friday...

No one can foretell which film will work and so you never know which Friday to release a movie. It’s good that the three releases are of different genres. Apna Sapna… is a comedy, Vivah a family drama and Deadline is a thriller. The audience has to take its pick.