/> Your latest film has been ripped by critics.

I'm really surprised. There's nothing in Zindaggi Rocks that's offensive. The backlash was hurtful. There're so many newspapers these days and they influence people into viewing or not viewing a film. I wish critics had been kinder. The film has a sweetness to it. It's neither dull nor violent. I guess life is full of surprises. Fortunately the average film -goer in Mumbai and New York have not called the film so bad. People have been SMS-ing me furiously.

Could this be another indication that female-centric films have no market?

I wouldn't like to see it that way. All my films except Sur have been female-oriented, and my new English-language film Hope & A Little Sugar has a boy at its helm. Even in Zindaggi Rocks Shiney is very important. I'd continue to make films where women are important. I'm comfortable that way. It isn't an ideological sloganeering stance. I just understand women better. I'm certainly looking at expanding my horizons.

There're some similarities to Sushmita's personal life put in for instant association ?

No not at all! The adoptive mother is a coincidence We in fact debated with the idea of not making her character's child adopted. We signed Sush because she isn't a wannabe. She looks as comfortable with a guitar in hand as in the hospital bed with her son. She isn't a guitar player. But we did have a trainer who taught her to mime the six strings. Maybe there're flaws in her guitar playing. But she throws herself into the performance with such gusto that the technicalities don't matter.

People have found Sushmita over-the-top.

What could she portray but complete devastation when her son is dying? The situation of Sushmita and Shiney came from real life. Shiney's characters was inspired by a woman reading out a letter on television. Her husband was in a coma for seven years. I saw it as a potentially emotional cinema. As for the mother ready to give up her child I had read about it and found it to be very dramatic and emotional.

Why the double role for Moushumi Chatterjee?

Well there was no grand design behind the idea, and it was certainly not a wish fulfillment, though of course I'd love to have twins. You could have both your kids in one go. I found the idea cute and viewer-friendly. I guess I enjoyed having two Moushumis. She's capable of being emotional and funny. It was like two sides to one woman. Believe me filming a double role is technically painful. I don't see why people think it's two much.