It took me three years to learn to dress in the American way, especially in winter. That was just like me. I barely wear socks even now.

Creative freedom is an imperative for me, but it doesn't really exist in a Hollywood game.

Christmas lights may be the loneliest thing for me, especially if you mix them up with reindeers and sleighs. I feel alone. I feel isolated. I feel I do not belong.

I often begin movies with music in my head; it's a very important dimension to me. Not just the music itself, but how to use music in film: when and how and subtlety. I don't like to be too sweet in my stories, and I like the abrasive clang, the contrasting of sounds and cultures.

Every film is a political act; it's how you see the world.

I've loved 'Vanity Fair' since I was 16 years old. You know, we're all colonial hangovers in India, steeped in English literature. It is one of these novels that I read under the covers at my convent boarding school in Simla.

I grew up in a small town in India, but through books I knew the world.