E Niwas speaks Subhash K Jha on why making My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves was a back-breaking Experience.

That's an unusual title.
Yes, taken from Mr Bachchan's song in Amar Akbar Anthony....It has great recall value. My Name Is Anthony Gosalves is very important for me. My last release Bardasht came nearly three years ago.

What happened to the momentum you created with your directorial debut in Shool?
I'm quite happy with the kind of films I did after Shool. Love Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega was a conscious effort to move away from the intensity of Shool. I grew up watching potboilers in Hyderabad.

Dum was my tribute to my movie experiences during my growing-up years. I went wrong in the last twenty minutes. As for Bardasht, I don't want to say anything about it. It flopped. Let's move on.

Why did you take so long to direct another film?
I didn't have the right script. After Bardasht I had to be sure of what I do next. I didn't want to rush into anything. In the meanwhile I made ads including the Kurkure ones with Juhi Chawla, also lots of Bangladeshi ads.

After that I finished My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves (MNIAG) and another film, a comedy De Taali with Riteish Deshmukh, Aftab Shivdasani, Ayesha Takia and Rimi Sen.

Apparently your producers wanted Viviek Oberoi to play the lead in Gonsalves?
I won't deny it. But my script inherently needed a newcomer. I went to other producers. All of them wanted an established star And I insisted on a newcomer.

I did a number of auditions to get my hero....it had to be an ordinary- looking man with extraordinary dreams. Don't ordinary people have the right to dream?

How did you end up producing it yourself?
When no one agreed I decided to produce the film myself. Since I had no expertise I messed up the first schedule.

That's when Shah Rukh's company Red Chillies came into the picture as online producers. I realized I couldn't handle production hassles while directing. We told them how much money we had. They took care of the rest.

Has it been a learning experience?
Yes! Lots of responsibilities. Firstly I'm a producer. Then I'm launching a new boy Nikhil Diwedi. Also, my track record with my last few films made me doubly cautious. After making Gonsalves I feel I can cope with any challenge. At the end of the day I'm pleased with what I've done.

Your film opened along with Raj Kumar Santoshi's Halla Bol. Feeling threatened?
Not at all! In fact I'm a big Raj Santoshi fan. I'm sure Halla Bol will be a great film. But two good films can co-exist in the same week. Welcome and Taare Zameen Par just proved it. At other timesfour films come together and all flop. I'm confident I won't disappoint audiences.