Some folks from the world of fashion aren't too pleased with the film. There are accusations of characters being fake, situations being exaggerated and proceedings being caricaturish. Yes, there has been a mixed reaction from the fashion industry, but that's OK since it was expected. After all, I was making a film. I was not making something that would respond to the world of fashion.

A film is an entertaining medium and this is what Fashion stands for. It was never meant to be an authentic docudrama that would expose the underbelly of the fashion world.

Still, the success of Fashion does make a statement, isn't it?
True. Five years back I couldn't have thought of making Fashion but credit to multiplexes which have been a big boon for the industry; even smaller centers today are waking up to movies belonging to varied genres.

These are great moments for a filmmaker because suddenly his/her project has become viable across the length and breadth of the country. Young generation today wants to see different kind of cinema; something that has been rightly demonstrated through the success of A Wednesday.

It was so unusual but look at the way it did at box office. Ditto for Rock On which is a completely different affair. People behind these movies are the kind of filmmakers who are trying to give a different edge to varied subjects.

While you are talking about filmmakers thinking differently, Priyanka Chopra has been heard as stating that her presence in Fashion brought the audience in.
I would be surprised if she has indeed said it since I haven't heard this directly from her. On the other hand, she has always said that Madhur is the hero of the film. It is a compliment of course and I take it in the right earnest.

However, it won't be right for any single person to stand up and say that he or she is responsible for the success of the movie. That's because the fact is that everyone has contributed to the success of the film; whether it is Priyanka or Kangna or Mugdha or UTV.

The film was not made by one single person; there were people in the art department, writers, stylists, set designers - each one of them. The film is not made by one single person and I want to give credit to every department from the bottom of my heart.

Now let's talk about the success of the film. Fashion releasing alongside Golmaal Returns and both turned out to be money spinners. There have been very rare instances where two big films have released on the same day and proved to be successful. Before this, it was in the case of Dil v/s Ghayal and more recently Welcome v/s Taare Zameen Par.
I am aware about this and the success proves that each of the films arriving on the same day had it's own way of thinking.

While Dil was comical, Ghayal was an action flick. If Welcome was a comedy, Taare Zameen Par was more serious. In fact when Fashion was locked alongside Golmaal Returns, people were warning me also against doing so.

They said that Golmaal Returns originated from a franchise and it would be foolhardy to arrive on the same day. However, my logic was that Fashion was a different film and mainly saw all the drama coming from three actresses.

Some sort of insecurity would have still come in?
Not at all because both the films belonged to a different spectrum altogether. Don't under-estimate today's audience because it decides what it wants to watch.

I am so happy for it because entire consumer market has loved both the films and ensured success. This market didn't allow the two films to eat into each other's business. Instead it encouraged them to sustain side by side.

I am sure that tomorrow if a James Bond movie releases along with a Brokeback Mountain, audience would still want to watch both the films. I would certainly watch both the films on the same day.

Oh, so have watched Golmaal Returns?
No, but in fact I am waiting to catch up on Golmaal Returns. I have been traveling non-stop across different cities and haven't been able to catch up on the newer releases.

Fashion is now over and done with. Are you now getting started with Jail considering the fact that 1st May 2009 has already been announced as the release date for the Neal Nitin Mukesh starrer?
(Sighs) I have just got over all the promotion and traveling for Fashion. Currently, I am working on the script of Jail and would need about a week to see how it would be made.

There is a lot of responsibility now while expectations too are more. I have to see what kind of films I have to make next while maintaining the quality of my work. I am looking out for a comedy subject as well, an idea I have been trying to explore for last two years.