Filmmaker Abbas Tyrewala tells Sowmya Rajaram why he thinks AR Rahman has outdone the Jaane Tu... soundtrack for Jhootha Hi Sahi, why lying is sometimes a necessity, and the reason his wife Pakhi and he chose to live apart for the three months they were working on this film.

TWO years after a charming Jai (Imran Khan) sang tunelessly to woo the cutesy love of his life Aditi (Genelia D'souza) in the cheery college flick Jaane Tu..Ya Jaane Na (JTYJN), director Abbas Tyrewala is back with Jhoota Hi Sahi, a romantic 'dramedy' starring John Abraham and wife Pakhi.

Tell us a little bit about Jhootha Hi Sahi.
Without revealing too much about the plot, I can say that it's about an average guy (played by John Abraham) who is living a regular life when suddenly, things turn topsy turvy when his phone number accidentally gets mixed up with the number of a suicide helpline.

Distressed people start calling him in the middle of the night, and he ends up counselling them. In the course of events, he ends up speaking to a girl, who is heartbroken. After a while, they decide to meet. You'll know what happens next when you watch the film!

But that doesn't sound like it has anything to do with the title the title makes it sound like it's a film about a liar...
He's not a liar, but he does tell lies in the film. The film is also about how circumstances can force you to lie because it's better than telling the truth, at that point. The outcome of that lie may not be good, but there's no way out. And that happens in life.

How did you decide to cast John Abraham as the lead?
I've always thought John was a very cool, sexy actor. I've wanted to work with him for a while. Interestingly, I initially wanted to make a very 'typical' John film--have him riding bikes and looking cool--but when I met him and happened to mention that Pakhi was working on the script of this film, he sounded interested.

Fortunately, John too was in a space where he wanted to do something different from the image he is associated with. Even though I didn't have a bound script at the time (this was before the release of JTYJN), he said he wanted to do it. I was surprised and double checked with him, but he was firm.

Finally, when the script was locked and he heard the narration, he was on board immediately. So, in a way, he chose the film, and not the other way round.

How did you zero in on Pakhi, your wife, for the female lead?
It just sort of fell into place. One, she had written the script, and so knew all the characters really well.

Then she gave us a really spectacular narration, where she enacted all the character's parts, which really impressed John and me.

So, he asked me why I didn't just cast her she looks nice and knows the material, so he thought she was perfect for the part. That was one of the reasons I had the confidence to cast her.

What was it like directing your wife?
Honestly, working with your spouse day in and day out, can be a bad idea. I ran the risk of ruffling feathers by giving her special treatment, or by treating her roughly so that others didn't think I was being partial towards her in any way.

It's a fine line. That's why we decided that the only way to make a successful film was to keep our professional and personal lives separate.

So, for the three months that we worked on this film, we lived apart, on separate floors. Pakhi's social life was with her friends and the actors off-set, and I had mine. I think that helped the film tremendously, because we never took the movie home to one another. If I ever had to push her a little harder on set, or lost patience, I knew that we wouldn't take that home as a couple we would simply meet as director and actor the next day.

In the beginning, the other female actors in the film were a bit uneasy about whether she would know what to do and were uncomfortable with her. But I think we all managed really well in the end. And honestly, at the end of the day, I can't live my life by other people's perceptions. I had to be true to the film, and since she was right for the part, that was it.

What's this controversy about the makers of F.RI.E.N.D.S suing you for 'lifting' from it?
I had absolutely no idea about this was till I read it in the papers. To be honest, I've been too busy and on a very tight deadline with regard to the film, to have bothered. But it's silly--except for the fact that there are a bunch of friends in the film, nothing in my film is similar to the TV show. Not a single characteristic or situation in the show is similar to any situation in my film.

What's the music like?
In some ways, it's infinitely richer than the music of JTYJN. That was a simple film about youth, and a time of life (college) that everyone is nostalgic about. It had an immediate connect, and was very easy to like.

The music of JHS is aimed at a slightly more grown up audience. It's a more sophisticated work, and to my mind, will be as memorable in the long run, and will play in people's cars long after the film has left theaters.

It's got some wonderfully complex numbers like I'll Be Waiting, which moves from English to Hindi to Urdu and then jazz and Sufi-Punjabi.

Describe the film in a line.
I'm borrowing this phrase from Imran (Khan). I'd call it a 'romantic dramedy'.

Any last words about the film?
As someone with a stake in the film, I just want people to like it. I think we're getting a little obsessed with numbers and how much a film makes on the opening weekend--but at the end of the day, I just hope it lives on after the weekend, and people treat it with affection. After all, we have invested two years of our lives into it.