Exaggerated budgets don't guarantee success!

When I said Chandni Bar created Jalwa at the box office despite the fact that it was made in 1.5 cr; that is sometimes the costume budget of a big film; I was not being condescending. My films like Page 3, Corporate, Traffic Signal and even Jail were made on smaller budgets. However they are feted and felicitated films and fetched terrific return on investment and won accolades.

But when I did Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji it needed more money because big stars like Ajay Devgn and Emraan Hashmi were in it. However I'm glad that even DTBHJ proved a safe bet for the investors. So there is no virtue in money as far as film budgets go. But when money is readily available it helps enhance a film. Heroine will need a certain jump in finances because it has a lot of glamour involved. The budget will be more than that of Fashion that also required some grandeur because of the nature of the subject.

Lagaan and Jodhaa Akbar kind of movies need mammoth budgets. The canvas is so big. At the back of my mind I know some day I too will dabble in cinema like that. However a subject has to naturally lend itself

to opulence. You choose a subject, then find a budget. You don't find moneybags and then go hunting for a subject to spend those crores on. If you are genuine filmmaker, you will not cheat. Having said that, there is a difference between producers and proposal filmmakers. For me cinema is my passion, my love. It's not about splurging money just for the sake of it.