Kabul Express director Kabir Khan talks about his latest production, New York

Lata Khubchandani Outlook India Outlook India: Isn't 9/11 the peg for too many films? Kabir Khan: The film deals more with the aftermath of 9/11. Bollywood has made only one mainstream film with 9/11 as a peg. That's too few considering the event has changed the world. Outlook India: You portray post-9/11 prejudices. Will that make the film controversial? KK: The script is very balanced and does not in any way try to provoke a controversy. Outlook India: What triggers off enough interest in an idea for you to want to make a film? KK: It could be a headline, a story on TV, a person... anything. Once you develop the idea, you realise whether it can hold a screenplay. Outlook India: Kabul Express had autobiographical strains. What about New York? KK: There are some experiences that find their way into the script but nothing as direct as those that went into Kabul Express. Outlook India: How did 9/11 affect you considering you were there at the time? KK: I witnessed the shift in people's perceptions. There was a sense of paranoia on security issues. This forms the backdrop of New York. Outlook India: You seem to have found a working relationship with Yash Raj Films? KK: Yash Raj allows me to make my kind of films....I can't get a better producer than Aditya Chopra in this industry. Outlook India: Why this cast? KK: The audience is going to see career-defining performances....That I can promise! Outlook India: Neil Nitin Mukesh claimed it was one of his toughest films. KK: Not just for Neil, but also for John and Katrina, the film was a huge challenge because of the difficult characters they had to portray. Outlook India: Can one class you as a serious filmmaker? KK: I'm very uncomfortable with the tag. I set my stories in the real world and that need not always be serious. Outlook India: What next? KK: I've started work on my next script but it's too raw and unresolved to articulate it.