I've never sought to be on an A-list. I've done my own thing and my own thing has thankfully now brought me an audience.

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

I know what it's like to be in one place and dream of another. I also know what it's like to feel that nostalgia is a fairly useless thing because it is stasis.

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 want to question what the outside is and who defines it. I often find those that are considered to be on the outside extremely inspiring.

We all know the power of film; we all know there's almost nothing more powerful than to see people on film that look and talk like you, like we do.

We have three generations at home, including my father-in-law. I keep a very low profile, and a lot of things I do are very much with the family in mind. I have actually made films with the family around me.