What made you go to film industry. Did your parents worked in it or you followed it from your diapers time and just got hooked?

Yes, I was a film fan like everybody at young age.At the beginning it were just American and British movies but then I got to university, where it was like world film, European film maily. But I started off as a theatre director.From theatre I moved to directing for British television.It was very very good time, television had very interesting writing, you could make single films or single story.Many of English directors of my age started off that way.And gradually I moved into feature film.

You started in independent film, now you have Academy Award. What gave you feature film for your future career?

I don’ t think there is any big distinction in making small films and bigger subjects.It should be pointed out that “ Shakespare in love” which won the Academy Award wasn’t an independent film really.There were some very well known names in it, well known now I mean, they weren’ t necessarily at that time.We just made that film in a way that it was true to itself.We didn’ t make it for fortune, there wasn’ t a great deal of money in it.The skill you learn as a story teller are the ones you need, you just need to understand how to tell the story. How to shape the story and how to make the story visually interesting and engaging for the audience.Those are skills you pick up in many steps on your career.I started directing for radio, then for stage, then for television and then for movie.All those stages contributed into whatever skills I got.

Why do you think “Shakespare in love” was so popular? Because of the name Shakespeare or for the way it was made?

I think for the way it was done it had very very unusual and brilliant script.I think the very thing that made studio scare was the word Shakespeare.That’s not what movie audience can access.Shakespeare seems to be now to lot of people very academic, inaccessible and very difficult.Shakespeare in his time as the film shows you, was a very very popular writer.He was equivalent of Hollwood mainstream film maker these days.He knew how to write to very very wide specter of the people.So we found the way, modern way on conveing that into making a film, serious and respectful of Shakespeare and what he had achieved. But at the same time he was very mischievous, subversive, the idea of a Shakespere made him very human and ridiculous sometimes and I think audience appreciate that.I think there are many many reasons why film was so successful.You know many of things came together at this film and maybe that is also one of the reasons.

Experts and people think that Shakespeare didn’ t write all his work.What is your thought?

I think it’s nonsense, I think he wrote everything.

With “ Shakespeare in love” you lost to Steven Spielberg in Academy Award fight.Who better to loose than him?

That is a good person to loose to, yes.We never imagined we would be up against those films. Once I knew that I am up against Save Private Ryan, you know....that first 40 minutes sequence it’s like object lesson in how to direct something.... you know, it’s like hats off to Steven.I would never be competing with him since there is no way I could beat that film so I was perfectly happy with the way it finished.

What do you think is better for future director. Work as an assistant to some more skilled one and pick up all his tricks but also maybe bad habits or start from the scratch, learn all by himself hard way and build around him his own crew?

The second model you have mentioned is more possible now.Because you don’ t need expensive equipment, you can do it on your phone.It’s great democratizer, not only that you also have distribution system.If you make a short film which has something very original about it, the way internet works and the you tube works and word of mouth can create something and become a phenomenon.That can be a launch for somebody’ s career.So in a way I can only applaud it and I can only say it’ s very good think.At the same time,in order to have a long career in this business, you need to be able to know what you are doing, you need to know the technique, you need to have experience.You know, to be a good director you need to know multiple skills.It’s media, how to deal with budget, how to handle the crew.You are the center of everything and you got to make it all work.It´s hard to get that experience without being around.So I am believer in first model you were talking about.People are spending time in the industry just to get skill under their belts.You know, famously everybody wants to direct.Lots of actors direct too, cos they got a skill by being around directors all the time.I must admit I did not have the opportunity you are talking about, I didn’ t assist any director. You know, you don´t just see people work too much.I would encourage both if you could do it.Find the project and make it. You know it’s brutal industry.You get rejected and you have to be prepared to be rejected many many times.

Would you employ young adept in your crew?

Yes, but it is not as easy at it sounds. In a film, there are two or three roles that can be taken by a novice.You know, everybody in my country and much less in yours as I understand it, wants to get a job in film industry.It seems to be very glamorous life and that world catches people’ s imagination.There is very superfision with celebrities, people think if you are in film, you must work with celebrities and it must be great job.So it’s difficult, there are not many opportunities.Everybody tries to get a job there.It’ s quite competitive.

What would you advice young ambitious guy who has will and fantasy but doesn’t have money and expensive equipment to make a film?

It’s possible now for everybody to make a calling card, to make a short film which will say “This is what I can do, this is my work, are you interested?”If it’s short, it’s helpful because that doesn’ t take people long to do it.I think you can see fairly clearly that all anybody is looking for is second chance to do something else.The film industry and acting industry is self-leveling.If you turn up as an actor not having a big career range, your career won’ t last long.If you made a film that works and it’ s like a flash in the pan, “they say it’ s brilliant”, but if  you can’ t make another after two or three years, you won’ t get off anymore.You have to be able to build on your skills.I think everybody deserves a first chance.And that is more possible now then it ever was.There is nothing to stop something you make becoming a success if it’ s sufficiently striking about it or about the idea, then it gain following.Nobody owes you a living in this business, you have to make your own living.

It is said that one doesn’ t enter same river twice.Why did you film sequel of the "Best Exotic Marigold Hotel"?Was it safe financial bet since you didn’ t have any better story at that time?

[Laugh] What else are we gonna do?Let’s make another Marigold Hotel film, ha, ha.

No, it’ s very unusual situation cos we made a first film that was one that found exactly the thing you are talking about, by small division of big American studio.Although it is part of 20^th Century Fox, it is still independent studio and makes independent movies.So that film suddenly achieved the kind of audience that doesn’ t usually happen to films of that size all over the world and studio, that stressed to have never made a sequel before, said”Would you consider revisiting the story?” and we said “ No, it’ terrible, we don’ t want to make same film again”

But then we thought maybe there is more in this story to tell with these people.After all, first film ends with beginning of their lives not with the end of it, even if they are old people.The idea was to make a film with second half of the story as we see it.It’ s not the sequel, just continuation.So you can tell one long story in two parts, that seems interesting, when we had the economic basis for doing it, because studio was prepared to finance it.Once said, if we wrote enough script so that’s how it came about, we also had a very, very, very good time while making the first movie.All the actors were immediately prepared to come back and when they saw the script, they immediately accepted it.It seemed an unusual chance, kind of privilege in a way to say a story about these actors who are in their later years and who won’ t be around forever, to tell the story that have this long span, four hours of film, because as I said, the first film is the half of the story.This is second half so it was real chance and real privilege I think, to make that film, so I wouldn’ t apologise for that.We didn’ t want to make second film again and this is not the first film, but it’s same characters.

Was it difficult to get actor of caliber of Richard Gere into the film?

No, it wasn’ t.He asked me to work with him on couple of occasions but I couldn’ t because of the schedule.He is now much more interested in making this kind of films, now he is not so much fussy about mainstream Hollywood films.He likes small, more independent projects about real people.He turned up, I didn’ t know  this, very much into the first film. He became a fan of it.You know, those actors are not a bad bunch of people to work with and he loves India.We didn’ t write a part for him, we even didn’ t know what sort of part he would be, we knew there would be another character, we didn’ t know if that is man ar woman, we didn’ t know about his nationality.We just started in certain way and in that process we thought that Richard Gere would be good idea.So we finished the script and sent it to Richard.He responded very quickly an said he would be interested in it.Hard to schedule it, with all other actors in cast we said:” We try to make it in this slot” so when that was done we contacted Richard and told him if he could make it.Since the slot for already fixed, he had to fit into it which he made in the end.

We have heard that you are to direct "My Fair Lady" next year, is that correct?

Well..... no.That’s the project I have been involved in before Exotic Marigold Hotel but rights situation is very complicated.That really dates about 5 years ago.That movie is a classic and it would be very hard to emulate it’ s success.Probably you could make an interesting film from it now, because cinematicly you could do more with it.It’ s great musical, it has some of the greatest numbers, that film doesn’ t die and doesn’ t go away.You would have to find modern equivalent of Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn, that kind of pairing that people would say

“Wow, that’s amazing”, that is definitely reason for doing it.The original film is of course wonderful and Rex Harrison is extraordinary.It’s quite theatrical if you look at it now.It’ s really like a filmed play.I think now, the audience has different expectations and I think there is more you can do about it now cinematically.At the moment it’ s not on the cards.I was going to make it at one point and then rights issue got difficult but it was before first Marigold film so you know how long it is.

You are a jury member for digital studio Filmaka.What is it’s mission or task?

Filmaka is a little organization that actually is about people making short films which then get distributed or screened on internet. It’ s slighty dormant project at the moment.But I was one of the first people who got involved at the beginning.My role is basically reviewing films that were made, selecting one winner who would get a bigger chance.I don’ t help them financially, only as participant.

With box office hit under your belt, do you still feel you are an independent director and the hit gave you more independence or you feel more responsible and tied up?

No,you know trick is to keep your cost low.With Marigold, even if we had some very substantial names, people did that project and they didn’ t get paid a lot.We told them “We will take care of you in India, we make sure you stay in comfortable hotels” but it was made for very little money.It was made in a way to keep costs down and if the film is successful actors in it would participate.They got something back for that which very rarely happens.Nobody will accuse you of being a part of establishment if you make a film that makes it’s money back.Problem is when you make 60 million dollars film which only makes 20 million in the box office, then you have a problem.Natural tendency in film industry is, if you make a success, somebody says”Would you do this” which costs that much more and if the material is interesting, I would do it immediately.If it isn’ t interesting, I wouldn’ t do it.I think the kind of films that I like to make tend to be slightly more independent end of things.I like kind of contradictory material and that’ t probably where my life is and I am perfectly happy with that.

This interview was realized at Febio Fest.

Photo: Febiofest 2015