He has made firm inroads into Bollywood, but director Priyadarshan still prefers to make his films down south.

"That's because I'm still not comfortable in Mumbai," Priyadarshan, whose latest release "Hulchul" is a comedy starring Akshaye Khanne and Kareena Kapoor, tells in an interview.

His next film though will be a serious, hard-hitting one, he says. Excerpts:

Q: Why three comedies in a row in Hindi?
A: Why move away from what I've been successful in doing? I succeeded with my two other comedies "Hera Pheri" and "Hungama". So why not a third time? And I don't have much competition in the comic arena.

I strongly believed "Hulchal" will complete my hat-trick of successful comedies, and it did! The original Malayalam film, "Godfather", clicked. Since it was seen by a very small portion of the audience, why not take it to a larger audience?

Q: So is "Hulchal" inspired by "The Godfather"?
A: To an extent. It's about the clash between two clans in a village. I think "The Godfather" has been re-designed in every way possible. Even my "Viraasat" was a take on "The Godfather".

"Hulchal" is a humorous take on the theme. I'd call it a mixture of "Viraasat" and "Hungama". In "Hulchal", Amrish Puri plays Marlon Brando's role. All the actors, whether it was Jackie Shroff or Suniel Shetty, agreed to do roles that they mightn't have done otherwise, only because of their relations with me.

Q: And Akshaye Khanna?
A: I'm very insecure about heroes doing comedy. But I found that right tune in Akshaye. He had already passed the test in "Hungama". And I was very sure how I'd get him to pull it off in "Hulchal". And he did.

As for Kareena Kapoor, she's the Goldie Hawn of my film. I feel it's very difficult for female actors to do comedy. But she's terrific at it. Her attitude is right for the film. I had offered her a role in "Hungama" also. Now in my new film with Salman, Kareena does the serious role of a doctor. It's my take on "One Flew over The Cuckoo's Nest".

Q: So how much of that film will you retain?
A: Not a single scene. I've just taken the spirit of "One Flew..." Salman Khan's bratty nature goes very well with the theme. He's our 'Brat' Pitt, ha ha! On Dec 26, I complete the film.

Q: Why are you shooting your new Hindi film in Chennai?
A: That's because I'm still not comfortable in Mumbai. The stars are so sweet. They've agreed to come all the way. We don't have a title yet. But we want to call it "Rang". Though it's a serious film there's a lot of entertainment in it. It'll be my hard-hitting film.

I'm off south Indian films for the next three years. Things are going well for me in Hindi films. So why not try to make headway there?

Q: But aren't you betraying your audience in the south?
A: Not really. I can go back any day I want. It's my home after all. Not a problem at all. Besides, south audiences can watch my Hindi films. In Hindi cinema, there're much more resources to make the product inviting...I'm doing two more Hindi films. One of them is a remake of my Malayalam film "Boeing Boeing" with Akshay Kumar. For the other project I'm keen on Hrithik Roshan.

Q: "Hulchal" is partly set in the village. Isn't that supposed to be a turn off for the audience these days?
A: Nothing of the sort. Audiences want to see something different and interesting. You know, generally after a comedy, the audience says, 'Yeah we laughed. But what else?' In "Hulchal", there's a substantial story to back up the comedy.