Rakeysh Mehra speaks exclusively to Subhash K Jha about his new film Delhi 6 featuring Abhishek and Sonam.

What made you pick Sonam Kapoor?
Once I saw the promos of Saawariya I saw my heroine jump out of the screen. That was enough for me to call her and her father Anil Kapoor. Then when I saw Saawariya I was completely convinced of my decision.

There's been a long gap between Rang De Basanti (RDB) and your next project Delhi 6?
Why do you say that? This is my natural pace of working. RDB came three years after my first film AKS. I'm coming after 2 ½ years with Delhi 6. After Aks I was un-learning my mistakes.

My biggest shortcoming in Aks was the screenplay. It has taken me 6 years to understand the concept of the screenplay. Now I know the most imperative part of my creative system is to know what needs to be gotten out on screen.

The urge to make a film should be like an obsession. Delhi 6 is the one I'm dying to make now.

The audience rejected Aks, but gave RDB an unprecedented ovation.
I've great faith in the audience. It has always shown a great deal of maturity. In fact WE the filmmakers are also the audience, why do we forget that?

Audiences aren't some species from outer space, or a symbolic unidentifiable mass of people. The minute you isolate yourself from the audience the film won't work. Cinema is all that I do, apart from swimming.

The casting of the male lead in Delhi 6 was a problem.
The casting has been a journey. My first and instinctive choice for the part was Abhishek Bachchan. And I met him right after RDB. Then the dates didn't work out. We decided to come together for a later film.

But fortunately for our movie it finally worked out. But it wasn't as though I was just waiting. I kept working on the script. We tried to get other actors. But the role belonged to Abhishek.

You were actually supposed to launch him.
Yeah, in a project called Samjhauta Express. We at that time were two young guys stepping into filmmaking together. Today at 42 I'm not so young. Abhishek is still young. He's a natural. I'd have got as much out of him as an actor in his debut as I'll now in Delhi 6.

Even ten years from now he'll have something exciting to offer. We're both instinctive in our approach to cinema. To me Abhishek is very special.

Delhi 6 recreates vignettes from your own youth in Delhi's Chandni Chowk. How personal would it be?
I've managed to distance myself from the screenplay. Having said that, let me also say that every film I make will have a slice of my life. Delhi 6 more so than others. Aks was the least personal.

It was my first film, and not necessarily by choice. I was finding my way into the cinema business with Aks. The film that I wanted to make first is yet to be made.

The screenplay constantly keeps mutating. To me the screenplay keeps changing until the day I go on the floor. According to me the shooting belongs to the players. The coach has done his job by creating an environment where the players do their best.

On the floors my job is that of a referee. I just have to keep the players within boundaries.

You've been singularly fortunate with actors.
Oh yes, and in Delhi 6 I'm blessed because I get to work with Waheeda (Rehman) ji again. When she was a little reluctant to do RDB I had told her very seriously that I'd erect the the set outside her Mumbai home in Bandstand.

Her car would've had to pass through my set every day. I was very serious about this.My producers looked shocked but it didn't matter to me. Now in Delhi 6 she has a far more pivotal role. I'm blessed to work with her twice.

The film also has Om Puri. He's perfect for the part. He has kindly adjusted his dates in spite of the delays. Then there're Atul Kulkrani, Divya Dutta, Shefali Shah, Supriya Pathak, K.K Raina and Pavan Malhotra.

What about the music?
A R Rahman has already done the score. We finished two months ago. And I'm working with two great writers Kamlesh Pandey and Prasoon Joshi on board. I'm co-producing the the film with UTV.

Ronnie Screwvala and I share a very special bonding, We understand each other's vision. We balance each other's creativity out. We went through both turbulent and smooth weather during RDB.

So that made our bond stronger. Now I'm completely nervous, though in a good way.

I can understand, what with RDB behind you.
That doesn't matter. RDB was another film, another director. I was happy being part of it. Now I hope we can do justice to Delhi 6. The winds are favouring us. Let's see.

But the director who made RDB is far more successful and therefore has much more weight on his shoulder.
Doesn't matter. At the end of the journey it's the same terminal for all the passengers. Let's hope I find my baggage this time.