/> Abbas Tyrewala who started his career as a lyric writer has gone back to his roots. Last month he flew to Chennai to write the Hindi lyrics for A R Rahman's score for the chartbusting sounstrack Boys.

Says Abbas, "This is the first time I've done something like this, convert the Tamil songs which are huge hits into Hindi for the dubbed Hindi version. The trick is to not translate the original words which I couldn't anyway because I don't know Tamil, but to go with the flow and rhythm."

Abbas started his career as a lyricist. "But lyric writing was never a serious vocation. I did it as a passion and hobby. I wrote songs for Ram Gopal Varma's Love Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega, E Niwas's Dum and Hansal Mehta's Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar. My lyrics were quite wacky. That chracterizes everything I deal with, including my finances."

Abbas wanted to cast Farhan Akhtar in Jaane Tu... "At that time I didn't know Farhan was seriously interested in acting.

I wanted to cast him in role of Sushant (played by Ayaz Khan), the debonair slightly arrogant character. Then when I heard Farhan was seriously interested in acting, doing leads I banished the thought. I think all writers-turned-directors would make a good actor.Me? I'd also act well if cast well, in a wacky role."

Last month Abbas was actually mobbed in a mall in Chennai. "These two girls came up to me for a picture. We've had much bigger hits but somewhere people have connected with Jaane Tu....

The place I am in today comes from my having the intelligence to ignore Ram Gopal Varma years ago when I was writing a film called Ek for him. He had told me to change my name because he found my name to be too bizarre to be taken seriously as a writer. I stuck to my name. It's a difficult name and difficult face to forget."

The era of star-directors seems to be upon us.

Says Abbas, "Before Karan Johar there were Sooraj Barjatya and Aditya Chopra. The only reason they weren't stars is because they were reclusive. These were the first directors whose names were bigger than the actors.

Then there was Ramu. But the culmination of this trend is Sanjay Leela Bhansali. With due respects he isn't a recluse like Sooraj Barjatya or Adi Chopra.

These guys stayed away from the limelight because they wanted the film to be bigger than them. Sanjay is very clear he wants his name to be as big as his cinema. He's no producing his own films. I'm turning co-producer with my next film because I want to own my own films."

Shekhar Kapoor says it's very difficult to be simple.Does Abbas agree? "I don't know. Different things come naturally to different people. I've a bit of Woody Allen in me.

Honestly I never knew how Jaane Tu...Jane Na would turn out. The problem was not whether people would like Imran Khan. The problem was, would they respond to such a non-violent pacifist hero?

The best message I got after Jaane Tu... was from A. R Rahman. He said this film would many open doors for me. And it did."

A lot of writers don't succeed that well as directors. "That's because they give a playwright's touch to their dialogue-baazi. I'm completely involved with the cinematic medium. Jaane Tu... is my most commercial film. Now I want to march to my own drum beat."

Abbas feels for too long he has been considered an avante-garde writer. "Do you know Munnabhai MBBS was originally meant to be a 1.5 crore film with Om Puri in the lead? Fortunately Vinod Chopra saw something in it."

Abbas is not fully satisfied with Rock On, the second cult hit after his Jaane Tu...Jaane Na this year. "I had some issues with Rock On. But then I've major issues with my own film also It's a very interesting premise.

Quite well shot a times. A few moments worked for me. But given the kind of reviews I had read, I was a little underwhelmed by Rock On. But then Arjun Rampal on stage looks like a few million bucks."