"Diya Mirza will be the biggest surprise": Sanjay Gupta
Features
oi-Staff
Sanjay
Gupta
reveals
that
though
Bipasha
Basu
was
the
original
choice
for
the
role
of
Diya
Mirza
in
Acid
Factory,
Diya
will
be
the
surprise
packet
of
the
film
How
would
you
describe
yourself
as
a
filmmaker?
I
have
never
set
any
boundary
as
a
producer
till
date.
Today
making
any
film
is
per
se
a
big
risk
but
then
at
the
end
of
the
day,
the
fact
remains
that
I
just
cannot
sell
anything
else
for
a
living.
The
current
scenario
as
far
as
the
film
industry
is
concerned
is
such
that
the
risks
inherent
in
film
making
are
quite
high.
However,
all
said
and
done
what
actually
matters
here
is
how
passionate
you
are
as
a
filmmaker,
nothing
else.
Why
are
you
keen
on
introducing
new
directors
through
your
production
house?
I
have
always
believed
in
encouraging
newcomers
to
direct
films
for
my
production
house,
because
besides
the
fact
that
they
come
with
innovative
ideas
and
are
raring
to
go
and
ready
to
push
the
envelope
because
they
want
to
prove
their
worth.
I
cannot
sit
in
an
ivory
tower
and
be
unapproachable.
I
am
different
from
a
producer
who
is
just
a
producer
because
as
a
director,
I
know
the
hardships
of
another
director.
As
a
producer,
I
feel
that
I
can
always
lend
more
support
to
a
new
director
because
I
know
what
he
is
going
through,
because
at
one
time,
even
I
had
gone
through
that
same
phase
as
a
struggling
newcomer
after
I
had
assisted
Pankaj
Parashar
in
direction.
Is
it
true
that
Bipasha
was
your
first
choice
for
Acid
Factory?
We
actually
had
Bipasha
in
our
minds
when
the
script
was
being
written
by
Milind.
Bipasha
would
have
been
an
obvious
choice,
but
I
wanted
to
surprise
the
audiences.
However,
Diya
Mirza
will
prove
to
be
the
biggest
surprise
packet
of
Acid
Factory
in
a
kind
of
role
in
which
you
would
have
never
seen
the
dainty
damsel
any
time
before.
I
would
even
go
to
the
extent
of
stating
that
Diya
is
actually
one
of
the
gangsters
in
the
film.
You
have
not
really
cast
happening
stars
in
Acid
Factory.
Why?
When
I
was
asked
why
I
cast
Vivek
Oberoi
in
Mission
Istanbul,
John
Abraham
in
Zinda
or
for
that
matter
Amitabh
Bachchan
in
Kaante
when
they
were
down
and
out,
I
told
people
that
I
do
not
see
my
actors
as
lesser
stars
than
the
other
super
stars,
because
as
a
producer,
I
do
not
believe
in
selling
stars.
I
am
very
confident
that
Acid
Factory
will
help
every
actor
who
has
worked
in
the
film
to
go
to
the
next
level.
Each
and
every
actor
who
I
approached
for
Acid
Factory
was
excited
when
he
or
she
read
the
script.
You
can
smell
whether
a
film
is
good
or
not
only
when
the
actor
sees
it
objectively.
If
the
film
that
you
make
turns
out
to
be
bad,
the
stars
will
automatically
become
unavailable
to
you,
even
if
you
happen
to
be
the
biggest
of
the
producers.
What
is
the
reason
that
you
strive
to
make
something
different
every
time
you
set
out
to
make
a
film?
When
I
was
just
an
assistant
to
Pankaj
Parasher,
there
were
eminent
makers
like
Mani
Ratnam,
J.P.
Dutta
and
Mukul
Anand
who
ruled
the
rostrum.
I
used
to
wait
eagerly
to
see
their
films
because
they
always
used
to
do
something
new
in
each
and
every
film
of
theirs.
It
has
stayed
with
me
and
that
is
one
of
the
main
reasons
why
I
try
to
break
some
new
ground
with
every
film
that
I
set
out
to
make,
whether
as
a
producer
or
for
that
matter
as
a
director.
I
would
say
that
this
is
my
way
of
repaying
the
film
industry.
Which
are
the
films
you
are
now
producing?
Pankh
starring
Bipasha
and
Maradona
and
The
Great
Indian
Butterflies
are
being
readied
for
release.
The
Great
Indian
Butterflies
is
a
simple,
but
elegant
story
directed
by
Sartakdas
Gupta,
who
was
brought
to
me
by
Parth
Arora,
who
is
the
co-producer
of
the
film.
Besides
these
two
films,
I
am
also
now
producing
Sonagachi
in
digital
format,
with
Sudipto
who
had
directed
Pankh
as
the
director
once
again.
Mahesh
Manjrekar
and
Manoj
Bajpayee
are
acting
in
the
film,
which
is
not
in
Bengali,
but
in
Hindi.
I
am
also
all
set
to
make
Milte
Hai
with
Meghna
Gulzar
as
the
director.
It
is
a
romantic
comedy.
Considering
the
fact
you
are
known
sarcastically
as
the
DVD
director,
are
you
planning
to
move
towards
the
West?
I
am
not
at
all
desperate
to
go
to
Hollywood.
I
would
rather
bring
Hollywood
here.
I
would
rather
be
a
King
in
India
than
a
struggler
outside
India.
Whether
you
make
a
film
in
Hindi
or
English,
what
is
important
is
that
you
enjoy
the
process.