"I've learned one general thing in filmmaking: to work with one strong idea. O..."
"I've learned one general thing in filmmaking: to work with one strong idea. One strong concept that pushes you to work in a certain way artistically."
"In rehearsals, I like to create an honest environment that is kinda free and fun."
"I like films that are well-written and concise and with not a lot of room for improvisation."
"I'm not the kind of director who imposes his processes on everybody else."
"Look at it this way: if you write the novel of 'Cold Mountain,' it costs exactly the same to produce and market as a novel set in a room. If you make the film, the disparity of costs is huge."
"It's counterproductive. The problem with sentimentality is that it kills the emotion."
"Sometimes there are no good choices."
"You can't trust your memory. You change it to suit yourself."
"When I make a film about a physically challenged person, I come away with so much. I learn to value what I have. My survival instinct sharpened after 'Black' and 'Guzaarish.'"
"The problem with acting is that there's really no control. You're at the behest of others."
"I'm petrified of facing the camera. Even to shoot for a photograph is an ordeal. But it's important to break free of your inhibitions at some point in your life."
"Each environment has its own signature. Sound tells a story: You make choices about what you're hearing, where to look, how you want to feel about what's going on."
"If I can do a romantic comedy with women, that's Everest to me."
"I'm supposed to be the guy who hates naturalism."
"I think there is something to be said for not coddling people and not accepting good as good enough."
"I'd say, at the end of the day, you know, from a songwriting practice standpoint, you write songs to make yourself feel something true and validating, and cathartic, maybe, and then whoever responds to it is, like, out of your control."
"The initial response to 'Yennai Arindhaal' was that it didn't have all the quintessential commercial elements, though I consider it as my most commercial venture."
"I just watched 'Lethal Weapon' for the first time, and it's awesome... and so violent! Mel is out of his mind in that movie. Although now we know he's just insane - he was very much in his mind."
"I was a history major, but that was because it took the fewest requirements of any major. In my sophomore year, I started getting back into making movies. My senior year, I took playwriting classes, and I feel like that's where I learned to be a writer."
"I find it easier to tell someone what's in my head once it's on paper, rather than write with someone in mind."
"When it comes to governments and corporations, we should demand that less is secret. That's where corruption flowers."
"Hollywood is enamored of the 20- to 30-year-old actress, but by the very nature of the life experience of the character, the roles cannot be that rich. You can only have Angelina Jolie in a mental hospital so many times."
"I've tried not to get sucked into the Hollywood hierarchy system. Personally, I don't like it when people are deferential to me because I'm an established filmmaker. It's a blue-collar sensibility."
"Here's the deal with 'Bastard.' I loved that show, and for me, it was such a palate cleanser, going from writing urban vernacular and crime to, essentially, iambic pentameter. I loved the mythology of that world based on history, but what it came down to was money."
"We always work for money but when you do something for The Banyan, you feel so good."
