Rahul Roy is delusional. He wants 'Aashiqui' to end with him. When it didn't end with me, how can it end with him?
— Mahesh Bhatt
The Congress may have made mistakes, but their ideology is not wrong.
I have only an appetite for masochistic truth, and only box-office collection figures interest me.
Cinema is not part of my entertainment.
I am an absolute atheist.
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.
A person doesn't only give money to watch a film: he also gives his time.
India was going though a difficult time in 1997. We had revolving door governments.
Men like Sunil Dutt should not be mourned, only envied for their greatness.
'Blood Money' was a stand-alone film, but we worked double for it. We realised how difficult it is to sensitise people to anything new, especially when you don't have a star.
'Zakhm' was my last film as a director.
I love working with newcomers.
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.
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.
'Zakhm' has no political agenda. But, it certainly says things as they are.
I think one of the basest of all things is fear. Fear erodes the individual. Fear erodes the nation, the spine of the nation.
Modi talks about Congress Mukt Bharat. I feel this is a fascist ideology.
India will not function if you do not believe in unity in diversity.
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.
At the end of the day, human beings make mistakes.
I am a mere filmmaker. I am not even aligned to any political party. I vote for the Congress party, and I root for the Congress ideology, but I am not subject to the Congress party.
Life experiences cannot be learnt on the film set or in front of the camera.
Without a good story, a franchise won't work.
Yes, whatever is born, dies, but I thank life for gifting us a Nelson Mandela. He will sparkle in our consciousness for times to come.
The world is not a static place. People change, evolve.
A franchise gives a sense of security to everyone - the director, producers, exhibitors, and even the audience feels that they are watching something close to the first part.
I always wanted to make a film on Kalahandi.
I would rather be stupid than pretend to be intelligent.
I love to inspire and get inspired.
I personally feel that religion should be kept private.
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 can understand the individual who is driven by biases. I can sit with him across the table and can talk to him, deal with him. But bias in the man whom we put in the seat of power and who decides to play on it... That man will destroy the very fabric of the nation.
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 can be unhappy with the Congress, but I cannot give up on its ideology.
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.
My last film as director, the National Award winning 'Zakhm,' barely managed to break even. So why should I listen to so-called sensibilities of a handful of critics?
It would be a tragedy for democracy if dissent goes away.
There is no one idea of India, but ideas of India.
A true artist is one who, even after doing a lot, he reminds himself that he hasn't done anything.
It's only a big man who makes you feel big.
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.
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.
Life isn't all about entertainment.
I don't give a tinker's damn for posterity.
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.
I am a people's person. I consume people.
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.
Men who create power make an indispensable contribution to a nation's greatness. But, men who question power make a contribution just as indispensable.
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.
