Contrary to popular belief, "Inteqaam" is not a Hindi version of "Basic Instinct", claims filmmaker Pankaj Parasher.

Though his early films like "Jalwa" and "Chalbaaz" were big hits, Parasher has been out of circulation for a long time.

But now Parasher strikes again with "Inteqaam", which according to a widely held belief is a remake of the Sharon Stone starrer.

"Not true!" Parasher told in an interview. "Maybe just four scenes are similar. When someone does a screen version of Shakespeare no one points a finger at him. But the minute there's similarity to a Hollywood film, flak flies. Obviously Isha Koppiker can't do the things that Sharon Stone did. I basically wanted to make a film about a female killer."

"It had to be a thriller that was 'me'...I have never made a film that I wasn't comfortable doing, not even 'Tumko Na Bhool Payenge'. It may not have done well. But I enjoyed the camaraderie I shared with Salman Khan and others in the team. I must admit that the energy it exuded wasn't what I wanted."

"It's very sad to run down a film, which you've spent so much time making. Three-and-a-half years of my life went into 'Rajkumar'. So what if it didn't work? But I can't make excuses. I don't want to dwell on what has gone by. I want to look forward to 'Inteqaam'."" He describes "Inteqaam" as a detective thriller. "My first film in that genre after my first serial 'Karamchand'. I'm rather happy with the outcome."

Parasher says the film will shock viewers. And so will this confession: "I got Manoj Bajpai into Mumbai. I was producing a serial and I had heard there was a great actor in Delhi. I told him to catch the first flight from Delhi. That was the first time he flew. One look at him and I told my director Anubhav Sinha to start shooting with Manoj. I think having Manoj in my film is an asset.

"I remember when I had signed Naseeruddin Shah for 'Jalwa', everyone said he had just done 'Paar' and had no market. When you put an award-winning actor into a commercial format, he's bound to play it well."

Much to audiences' relief Manoj doesn't sing in 'Inteqaam'. "There's no scope for him to do so. I've promised to give him six songs in my next film."

Parasher started his career on television. His serial "Karamchand" featuring Pankaj Kapur as a goofy detective was a sensation.

"I never went back to television. My last day of 'Karamchand' was my first day of shooting for my first feature film 'Jalwa'. And the minute 'Jalwa' came out, I was signed for my second feature film 'Chalbaaz'...Wasn't Sridevi amazing in it? In fact, when Saroj Khan was shooting a knockout number with Isha in 'Inteqaam', we kept remembering Sridevi."

"Jalwa", which came 20 years ago, is still remembered. "In discos, they still play Remo's song 'Dekho yeh hai jalwa', though the youngsters don't know I made a film containing that song. At the remix music launch of the song, they asked me who I was. I said I was the guy who made 'Jalwa'. They said the remix guy made it. Hello, what about me and Remo?"

But Parasher doesn't allow himself to miss the likes of Naseeruddin and Sridevi.

"It's easy to get nostalgic. But Manoj too is excellent. As for Isha, there's so much innocence in her. I'm presenting her in a new way."

Parasher admits his career has had its ups and downs, "I am like a kite. I enjoy coming down and then going up. And why only me? Our whole industry has been fobbing off the Hollywood influence for 50 years! Ours is the only industry that makes more movies than Hollywood." "Earlier on we had migrant directors from all over India. Now we have Mumbai directors making films only for the metros."

"Manoj Kumar, Raj Khosla and Guru Dutt came to Mumbai from another part of our history. What sense of history do the Mumbai directors possess? The good thing about today's cinema is the multiplex theatres where audiences get a chance to compare inferior quality work with its superior counterpart next door."

Now there's "Inteqaam". "I'm genuinely grateful to Sahara for producing my film without any interference. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. The release has been delayed. I know Pre-Diwali and pre-Ramadan is a scary time for new releases. But there's no time that isn't scary."