Changed male character to female during writing to work with Tabu

What do you look for in a story when you decide to bring it on screen?

The process of film making is very difficult. For this you have to make tough commitments. Once the story is chosen, then for two years nothing happens in our life except that. So there has to be an equally powerful story to get into that commitment. But while reading the story, we realize whether a film should be made on it or not. I always look forward to such a story. When we feel inside that we can bear two years of pain for this story, then I work on it. Then with the passage of time in that story, our blood sweats everything. In reality, such stories automatically pull you. This happened to me in ‘Maqbool’. Happened in ‘Haider’. You are the writer, director, producer, composer everything in every film. Is it easy to handle so many responsibilities at once?

Did you do anything special for ‘Intelligence’?

Preparation has to be done at the time of every film. When you are done with a lot of work, then spontaneousness comes. When actors like Tabu or Naseeruddin Shah reach the sets after preparing in their own way and start doing scenes in front of the camera, then our own preparation remains in vain. Magic moments often come on the sets. We are always ready for change. But it is necessary to do homework. We change frequently on the sets. Nothing is perfect during film making. You go to the set with all the preparations that today all this will be successful, but it never happens. Any problem can come at any time. We drive a car every day, but the day the artist has to drive it while shooting, then it comes to know that it is not moving. So anything can happen. During the shooting of ‘Kufiya’, we had to change many characters. In my opinion, spontaneity can come when you are fully prepared for the platform you are on. Otherwise, trying to be spontaneous, you may take the wrong decision.