Amongst the debutant directors who have made a huge impression in 2008, Neeraj Pandey finds his name amongst the top contenders. If Abbas Tyrewala's feel good romantic comedy JAANE TU YA JAANE NAA went on to do huge business at the box office, Neeraj Pandey's small budget dramatic journey called A Wednesday has found a cult following for it as well.

Was he really expecting this?

"Yes, I was", says Neeraj Pandey in a firm tone, "There was a 8 month time lag between the completion and release of A Wednesday but I knew that whenever it would release, it would win over it's audience. This was the film made for the people and there was no reason why it wouldn't have worked with them in a big way."

The film has already netted close to 10 crores from the box office and is still going strong 4 weeks after it's release.

Smiles Neeraj, "And I want it to continue to do well in coming weeks as well. It isn't one of those 'earn-all-your-money-in-the-first-weekend' kind of a film which fades away in a fortnight's time. It is one of those films that sustain over a period of time and keep finding newer audience week after week."

Talking about the kind of audience which is walking in to watch the film, he says, "Yes, I am told that there is repeat audience for the movie but I am sure there are quite a few who are waking up to it for the first time due to immense word of mouth.

Exhibitors have been confident enough to keep a good number of shows for A Wednesday week after week. They have been forced to cut down a little due to KIDNAP and DRONA but I can sense that from coming Friday, A Wednesday would be back with full steam."

Adds Anupam Kher, "It was some great conviction from Neeraj that made me sign the film. He was so confident, so clear about what he wanted. Once I trusted him completely and was on board, it was a matter of being sincere to the film. I am happy that the film has stayed on for so long with the audience. This clearly demonstrates that all kind of subjects have a space in the market and would work so very well with the audience today if treated well." - Joginder Tuteja