I have been looked down upon: Rohit Shetty

Bollywood director Rohit Shetty of "Singham" fame says he is not interested in talking about his hard work."I have been looked down upon by my colleagues and media and I don't talk about my hard work."

He was speaking Sunday during a panel discussion organised by students of Subhash Ghai's film school Whistling Woods International in Mumbai.

The discussion was held on the second day of a film festival organised by the students to celebrate 100 years of Indian cinema.

Director R. Balki of "Paa" fame, Amol Gupte, who is known for his work in "Taare Zameen Par" and "Ishaqzaade" director Habib Faisal were the other directors who sat on the panel. The discussion was moderated by film critic Rajeev Masand.

Talking about his peers, Rohit went on to say how courageous they have been in order to make their films.

"All three of them are braver than me. I would never have made my directorial debut with Rishi Kapoor in the lead," he said referring, to Habib's's film "Do Dooni Chaar".

"I would have also not dealt with a sensitive subject like that of 'Taare Zameen Par' or Amitabh Bachchan in the role of Auro, for 'Paa'," he added.

Known for his "Golmaal" series and "Singham", Rohit is considered as a director who makes sequels and remakes by many.

Defending his colleague, director Habib spoke about the hard work required to make a remake. "The only thing available for a remake is the script. Everything else needs to be done," he said.

Another major issue addressed by the panel was the difficulties faced by writers today. They were of the opinion that writers were not given the respect they deserved.

"Writers are a rare commodity today. They don't get the respect which they deserve. We still don't value them," Balki said.

The panel discussion was held on the last day of the festival and veteran actress Hema Malini was present for the closing ceremony along with music composer Anu Malik.

"There are so many filmmakers who came and went but only Subhash Ghai thought of keeping something for the coming generation. I am sure you all are doing very well," she said.