Post 9/11, so much has changed in New York that it does not give you that homely feeling which it did before.

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

I am an independent film-maker first and foremost. I have always cut my own cloth.

Never treat anything you do as a stepping stone. Do it fully, and follow it completely.

Post 9/11, so much has changed in New York that it does not give you that homely feeling which it did before.

'Salaam Bombay' didn't put a halo on the poor. Instead, it said that they will teach us how to live.

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.