Farhan & I have no issues Zoya

With her second film Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara up for release, director Zoya Akhtar recounts her directorial journey and filmi background

The job

Firstly, as much as I hate to admit it, my debut film Luck by Chance was not a box office hit! However, everyone who viewed it really appreciated, but that is a different matter, which of course, has its own share of rewards. The film did very well for me as a director. As for money V/S acclaim, I think both are important, but the idea is to merge the two. I believe that every director should have their own perspective, a point of view and a voice, no matter what story they are telling. That is the key.

Being a director, you are running a crew of over 150 people who each ask you 150 questions a day. So, you got to know what you want and you got to hire people that love what they do; the rest is pure stamina. Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara is a multi-starrer and the benefit of having a big star cast is that they generate interest in the project, and more often than not, they assure high ticket sales. 

I got really lucky as everyone got along with each other. It was gruelling work and tiring schedules, but they have tremendous stamina. Plus, there were no star tantrums; they actually had a blast!

Filmi family

Coming from a filmi family does help, as you get to meet people much easily, and sometimes you know them well too, which seems to grab the interest of the press as well. But on the flipside, everybody out there thinks you have it easy, which isn't true. We work just as hard.

When it comes to Farhan, people often ask me if I feel overshadowed by him as we are both directors. But we have no such issues. We are very tight and I love working with him. In fact, we actually work very well together. He's a natural. He's very comfortable in his skin and therefore slips into a character very easily.

Personally, I believe in living life to the fullest. I work hard and party harder. I don't want to miss out on anything. I make time to do the things I love to do. And, as for settling down, I don't know what that even means. I feel settled in my life.

Working on Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

The film is essentially about a road trip taken by three friends, just before one of them gets married. They set out to actualise a pact they had made in college, where each will choose an adventure sport and the other two just have to do it. The trip transforms into a journey that changes them forever.

I have been on countless road trips myself and I always wanted to do a film based on it. And since my first film Luck By Chance was set in Mumbai, I wanted to shoot something visually and thematically different.

I really enjoyed working with Hrithik again. I think he's an amazing actor and he has so many wonderful attributes to his credit, like dance, action and good looks; I truly believe he can do anything. He works really hard and the best part is that even though he is a huge star, on the sets, he is simply an actor. 

He loves what he does and doesn't take anything for granted. As for Abhay, he is brave! He will try anything. He has no qualms about anything, once he likes a script. Also, I feel he has a very unique sensibility for a Bollywood actor. He picks parts that are juicy and he essays roles that other actors would not be comfortable doing.