Sonam taught me how to gossip-Anand L Rai

It was an exciting journey, though not an easy one. When you're dying to tell a story that is close to your heart, then convincing your team to put their heart and soul into it can't be easy. It was the same in Tanu Weds Manu. It was a challenge to make 200 people in my team realise my vision.Why did you pick Dhanush for the film?In retrospect, the decision of getting a South actor on board was a challenge. Dhanush is a good actor. But the fact that South actors haven't done well in the Hindi film industry was a concern for many. However, it wasn't difficult for me to take a call because my script demanded Dhanush. It was instant. When I cast Dhanush and Sonam as the lead pair, people laughed. I never paid heed to that. I can't take negativity, so I shut my ears to it.

No, but I was expecting warmth from the audience. I was honest with my film. I trusted the audience to appreciate my effort. They can be ruthless at times and they have their reasons for that. I wanted the film to connect with the audience. I don't want to make a film that makes money and is forgotten. I want to make films that you can recall even after five years. That's my goal.

Yes. I'm thankful to God for that. I know both my films weren't flawless but they were honest. At the end of the day, it's about telling a story. I trust people and expect them to trust me. Raanjhanaa was a circle of trust. It's a pure form of love story.

May be. I guess you take undue advantage of those we believe in. We can put it both ways. Kundan (Dhanush) believed in Bindiya (Swara Bhaskar) and Zoya (Sonam Kapoor) relied on Kundan. To a neutral person, it is a different story. But a person in love will be able to understand it. You become selfless in love. What you term as breaking trust', I call connection. Even in Tanu Weds Manu, Kangna's character confides in Madhavan's as she trusts him. There's a connection between them.

I want to meet these people. If given another chance, I'll make the film from Bindiya's point (Swara's character was shown being ill-treated by Dhanush's) of view. I'll make you believe in another love story. There was nothing fresher than Bindiya in the film. In fact, some believe that Kundan was a stalker. He wasn't! In fact, the youth of Benaras are more progressive than that in Mumbai. They treat each other as equals. If Kundan was mistreating Bindiya, then Bindiya was no less. She also throws chappals at him and abuses him. Usne kaun sa baksha usko (she gave it back too)! I don't believe women are weak. As for the dialogue, it's the language of the place. In a city like Mumbai, when you call your friend bitch' in jest, isn't that insulting too?

Where are we living? In terms of censorship, a boy can't abuse a girl, but it's okay if a girl does the same to a boy. What do women have to say about that? I wasn't aiming for a 100 crore film. If someone tells me they have watched the climax thrice and have cried each time, then that's it. I respect all those women who didn't watch the film but I had bigger reasons to make the film. The gatekeeper of Chandan theatre in Mumbai asked me if there would be a sequel because Kundan is shown in a coma. I explained to him that there wouldn't be a sequel because Kundan is dead. I'm glad with such responses!

Does a filmmaker portray what's happening in society or is it the other way around? I don't believe we are so influential as to bring about an increase in crime. I made a love story because I couldn't see love around. I have tried to make a love story in the purest form. Why are we so negative?

If it is so, then they don't know the real India. The people of Benaras have this quality where if they fall in love with you, they will go all out to help you. That's what the song Banarasiya is based on. Even in Tanu Weds Manu, I've shown a girl from Kanpur puffing a cigarette. Ask parents in these small cities and they will tell you the same stories. People in small towns are not backward. I love today's metropolitan youth but the problem with this generation is that if they suffer heartbreak, all they need are two cappuccinos to get over it. They're scared of getting hurt. That's why I made Raanjhanaa.

I was born in a non-conservative, middle class family of educationists in Delhi. I grew up listening to my mother Susheila Rai and father Leelaram sing. They were hot favourites in gatherings. That's where my affinity for old melodies comes from. I'd rest my head on my father's arm as he sang. That's why the music in Tanu Weds Manu had a nostalgic touch. I found a great friend in my father. We spoke about everything under the sun. My first drink was with my father at home. That's why my brother Ravi Rai and I never got hooked to smoking or drinking.

I had a love marriage. Yogita and I met when I was 12. I don't remember when we expressed our love for each other. You don't have to be successful in love. You just have to be in love. Today I am 42 and have a 12-year-old daughter (Radha). She loved the film. She's crazy about Dhanush.

Many people, including Sonam, told me not to kill Kundan in the end. Don't make a tragedy out of the film, they said. I told them it was a happy end. There is a way of looking at death and life. Life is a beginning but death is not an end. It's the beginning of another life. Besides that I wanted to add a degree of mystery to Abhay Deol's character so we made him die. Not everything needs to be explained.

Yes. I told AR Rahman sir, people have celebrated life, let's celebrate pain, guilt and death. That was Raanjhanaa. For me guilt is positive. If you do wrong and don't feel guilty then even the starkest punishment will not change you.

Sonam taught me to gossip. Every morning she'd come and ask for gossip but I'd have none. It became a habit and towards the end of the shooting I'd walk up to her and ask, "You want some goss?"