/>What made you take up direction?
I have wanted to direct for a while now. As an actor, it was always exciting to watch the rest of crew work towards shaping up a scene. Often I would get involved with suggestions or just observe the whole process. Slowly, the desire to tell stories, the way I wanted to, started growing stronger. But I didn't think Firaaq would be my first film.

Firaaq was born differently. It had to do with waking up to newspapers with stories full of violence; having conversations about religion and identity and soon finding oneself in a very polarized debate; feeling deeply disturbed by the constant 'them and us' from all quarters...

Firaaq is a reaction to all that and more. On a more optimistic note, during my many travels and interactions, I have sensed a collective desire to understand this complex and violent world we inhabit and a palpable need for peace. I think Firaaq reflects these complex thoughts in an accessible way.

As a film maker, do you believe in the terms - Art house cinema, and commercial cinema?
While these terms are somewhat valid, as they connote the sensibilities of the film maker and also define some parameters within which they operate.

But they are not always fully descriptive as the boundaries are getting blurred, for instance, some art house films have been worldwide commercial successes. And some commercial films are stretching their boundaries by experimenting with form and content.

But most people would agree that the real categories are only good cinema and bad cinema, which can be made under any of these labels.

Dev and Parzania dealt with the Gujarat riots too, and the way it affected the common man in the state. Then why deal with the same subject again?
Firstly, any two films are not necessarily alike just because they have a similar context. Moreover, Firaaq is not set during the riots, but a month after it, when the overt violence was over. In fact there is hardly any violence in the film. Instead, I have chosen to explore the fierce and delicate emotions and the unfolding of relationships in such times.

Nandita Das Please brief us on how well was Firaaq received at the various film festivals across the globe. Any memorable comment you've received from anyone?
Going by the reactions I have got thus far from audiences across board- Toronto, NY, London, Pusan (S. Korea), Thessaloniki (Greece), Calcutta and Trivandrum it seems to really connect with people.

I am truly overwhelmed by the amazing response I got at all the festivals so far. After every screening I had people wanting to engage, share their stories and ask a hundred questions.

People of all race, community, age and nationality have had similar responses and I feel it resonates with them. What more could I ask for?! I am eagerly looking forward to the end of February release in India. Some of the comments are given below:

Salman Rushdie: "Nandita Das' Firaaq succeeds because it allows the humanity of its characters to shine through the darkness, even the horror, of the events it describes, and because of the skill with which the many narrative strands are interwoven. It's a remarkably assured directorial debut by one of India's finest actresses."

There are many others...some of them are:

"I returned from viewing Firaaq yesterday evening in a mood of profound sadness, but a sadness mingled with the frisson of pure aesthetic excitement that great art can give. I was deeply moved and shaken by Firaaq"

"I cried, I laughed, my heart raced-at various times, I was disgusted, ashamed, saddened, hopeless, hopeful, happy, and fearful. Watching the film was truly a journey"

"You made a bold movie and told a very important story with gentleness, grace and thoughtfulness. You wove stories together and gave a voice to so much that remained silent."

You remind me of the great Smita Patil as far as your looks and talent goes. How do you take this compliment?
I feel anyone who is dark and is seen in an art house cinema is called Smita Patil. She did many great films and her performances are unforgettable. I frankly feel it is an unfair comparison. But sure I will take it as a compliment, although I truly think I don't deserve it.

Was casting for such a kind of film a tough task?
While writing the script, I would mentally start casting. Although I was not lucky enough to get all of them, the four I did were precious- Naseeruddin Shah, Paresh Rawal, Raghuvir Yadav and Deepti Naval. I got to experience a diverse range of talent as I searched for my characters; and finally an incredible cast came together.

The additions to the list were Sanjay Suri, Tisca Chopra, Shahana Goswami, Nowaz and many other wonderful actors. But the most challenging audition was for Mohsin, a six-year-old child.

I found Mohd. Samad in the first of the eight different schools I visited in the old city of Hyderabad. The reason he wasn't an instant choice was because he couldn't stop smiling! And our little Mohsin in the film was a sad child who smiled only once!

So I pressed on through eight other schools before realizing that Samad was the one I was looking for. His eyes full of wonder, innocence, intelligence and resilience was what I was looking for.

Nandita Das Why don't we see much of your acting prowess now-a-days?
I have done 30 films in 10 different languages and most people wouldn't know the names as many of them are in regional languages. Also the last year and half has been only Firaaq, which completely consumed me.

And just before that I did Adoor Gopalakrishnan's Malyalam film and Santosh Sivan's Before the Rains, which is yet to release in India. I am doing an exciting project soon after the release, but can't tell you the name as I am yet to sign in the dotted lines.

Is Firaaq going to be a one off attempt?
Not at all! I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience of making the film, but it was also very stressful and consuming. So I don't think I will direct very soon and would like to do other things and see what stories emerge organically.

I will surely direct more films, but as it is so all-consuming, I would want to have enough gaps between two directorial ventures and do other things in between. It would also allow me headspace to think of stories that I would want to tell.