At a time when sex seems to have become the success mantra in Bollywood, Karan Razdan, who had come to acquire the reputation of a sleaze maker at one point of time, insists that he has changed gears to a different track of film-making sans sex and titillation, in his latest venture EIGHT.

"HAWAS dealt with infidelity and GIRLFRIEND dealt with the subject of lesbianism but EIGHT is a supernatural thriller on the lines of OMEN, with which I have diversified onto a new path of film-making."

"The film discusses the Karma theory and the power of Saturn in our lives. It is common knowledge that the many miseries in life are caused due to the rays of this planet. My film appeals to surrender to the power of Shani (the Hindu god of Saturn)," he says, adding that the film does have its dose of sex and titillation.

"But it is definitely not the mainstay of the film unlike some other films," he says.

He is also not worried about having to play safe about the publicity of his forthcoming film after the recent drive against obscene posters.

"I don't remember having capitalized on the sex aspect heavily in the publicity of both my earlier films. In fact, I have been fairly conservative in the publicity, which is why none of my films have encountered problems," he says.

"I think the clamp down by the law-enforcing authorities is the result of some makers going overboard with the provocative publicity of their films. There has been a flood of cheap films in the market, all with shoddy publicity," he says, eager to change his image of being a 'sleaze maker'.

However he adds that he is not averse to the idea of portraying sex in films.

"I don't see anything wrong in depicting sex in films, provided it is done aesthetically and in the right context. The problem with these films starts when sex becomes the mainstay without any proper storyline to back it. In fact, I'd love to do a sex comedy some day," he says.

Isn't he dissuaded by the fact that the business of films with sexual innuendoes like FUN has dropped in recent times, with the rate at which these films are released?

"I don't think the business has slackened at all. On the contrary, I am aware of the fact that FUN did manage to get good returns on its investment. In fact as far as I know, the print number of the film was increased due to the increased demand. On the other hand non-descript films like HI SOCIETY do have a tough time at the box-office. It is all about aesthetics and the purpose behind making the film," he quips.

We'll probably have to take his words seriously until we see his forthcoming film EIGHT in June.