Nagesh Kukunoor's new film "Iqbal" about a deaf-mute cricket aspirant has created a feel good buzz and has even inspired artist M.F. Hussain to think of a series of paintings on the theme.

Kukunoor, who credits flamboyant filmmaker Subhash Ghai and his Mukta Arts with the waves generated by the film ahead of its release Friday, is understandably overjoyed.

"Having a producer like Subhash Ghai and a banner like Mukta Arts has made all the difference to my film," told Nagesh Kukunoor.

"I realized the power of having a big company strongly endorsing what I believed in. The marketing and publicity blitzkrieg surrounding 'Iqbal' in the past month has never happened to any of my films so far.

"In fact, as SG (that is what he calls Subhash Ghai) said, he has never worked so hard on promoting a film as much as for 'Iqbal'. That is because he is absolutely passionate about it. It has been a fabulous experience of sorts trying to build the awareness about the film as it draws close to release."

"Iqbal" tells the story of an 18-year-old deaf-mute boy who dreams of playing cricket for the Indian team, someone who believes in the simplicity of his dreams, as Kukunoor puts it.

"I always wanted to make a film on an underdog, someone who rises above his limitations and realizes his dream. On the other hand, I also wanted to make a film on a disabled person, where the disability is treated with a lot of dignity. Add to this the backdrop of cricket, what with cricket being a national obsession in this country, and that's how 'Iqbal' was born on paper," Kukunoor recalls.

So when Mukta Arts approached him to zero in on one of the many scripts that he had submitted to them, "Iqbal" seemed to be the best bet.

"I had been interacting with Mukta Arts for a while and had forwarded them all my scripts but the other scripts didn't appeal to us as 'Iqbal'," Kukunoor reveals.

Contrary to the belief that Mukta Arts offers little scope for creative freedom, Kukunoor admits to having had a ball of a time experimenting with his creative outlook, a liberty that was spelt out for him at the outset.

"I made the film exactly the way I felt about it. The question of it being influenced creatively did not arise, since it was supposed to be made that way. When people at Mukta Arts got in touch with me, they did so because they wanted a typical Nagesh Kukunoor film. They were not looking at a Kukunoor film, conditioned, shaped and re-shaped by Subhash Ghai. I wouldn't have gone ahead with the film if I had got vibes of creative interference," he reveals candidly.

According to Kukunoor, every film carries a certain positive or negative vibe about it prior to its release, which is reflected in its pre-release screenings among other things.

"The one about 'Iqbal' is definitely positive. We are expecting the film to reach out to a good number of audiences," he says.

One such positive vibe that really inspired him was when M.F. Hussain decided to do a series of paintings on the film soon after he saw the film. "It was a very touching gesture, and an indication of how much it had appealed to him. I felt deeply honoured," he says.

While "Iqbal" happens to be another thought provoking film from Kukunoor, a serious contention about his films is that they cater to the intelligentsia and not to the masses.

"It is not something intentional, nor does it indicate that I subscribe only to a target audience. I believe that as filmmakers, we should present a variety of films to the audiences and allow them to choose instead of just giving a standard Bollywood film. We have a few filmmakers balancing the so-called song and dance films with realistic cinema. I feel it is very unfair to the audience," he says.

Yet he is looking forward to making a song and dance film some day. "I had always said that I would want to attempt such a film with all its colour and gloss. It will be a fascinating experience but of course, it will not be devoid of my perspective. After all, every director has his own perception of what he wants to say in a film and how he chooses to say it," he quips.