I've made seventeen or eighteen films now, only two of which have been original screenplays, all the others have been based on short stories or novels, and I find the long short story ideal for adaptation.

There is a ban on Indian films in Pakistan, so that's half of our market gone.

Ever since Two Daughters I've been composing my own music.

It was only after Pather Panchali had some success at home that I decided to do a second part. But I didn't want to do the same kind of film again, so I made a musical.

My films play only in Bengal, and my audience is the educated middle class in the cities and small towns. They also play in Bombay, Madras and Delhi where there is a Bengali population.

If the theme is simple, you can include a hundred details that create the illusion of actuality better.

The conception of background music is changing. You use less and less of it these days.