/> After writing and directing Salaam-E-Ishq, Nikhil Advani completely swore off writing. This is why he was more than happy to just hold the reins of a director in Chandni Chowk To China even as writers Sridhar Raghavan and Rajat Arora went all out in getting the homework done.

"Seriously, I don't' want to write at all. I have tried it once in Salaam-E-Ishq and have seen the results. I just wrote that film because I was a little impatient and just wanted to get started.

Also, there was a scarcity of good writers at that time which forced me to pen the script. Today, that's not the case; we have wonderful writers out there so why not allow them do their job. I never wanted to be a writer and I will never be one", says Nikhil Advani.

When there are quite a few writer-directors in Bollywood, why doesn't he want to take a second chance? "Well, that's good if some people can handle both but it doesn't really work for me.

When you are shooting for a film, it is a moment of inertia that you operate in. It is the process of editing where the film takes its final shape and things have to come under control.

If you are also a writer, it becomes tough to see your work being edited. You don't have any perspective left after the shooting ends and start believing that everything that has been shot is relevant in the final cut", he explains.

No wonder, from a 3 hr 30 mins long lasting Salaam-E-Ishq, he has moved to a 2:30 hours Chandni Chowk To China.

"And to think of it, I started off with a 2 hr 20 mins long final cut", he smiles, "I later added 10 minutes by retaining some shots that I had originally cut.

See, the important thing is to learn. At the time of Salaam-E-Ishq, I was a very different director and today I am different. Still, no regrets about the past because whatever mistakes I had made then, they were with my open eyes."

He admits that he has changed as a human being as well. "At that time, I was quite stubborn and didn't want to cut a few scenes in Salaam-E-Ishq, even though before the release itself many suggested that I re-edit it. I was super confident that people would accept the film in the manner I would present to them."

He can't forget the support that he got from his wife during the times of turmoil when Salaam-E-Ishq, which was touted to be a big money spinner before the release, bit the dust.

"I was quite disappointed when the film didn't run and if not for my wonderfully supportive wife, I would have been devastated. It was she who turned around and said that after the fall, I needed to dust myself, get back on my horse and start from scratch", he says fondly.