Sriram Raghavan

I'm not a social person. I don't like parties. I like small groups, we discuss ideas in my office.

When you are working on a real story it is your responsibility to get everything right and stay as true and authentic as possible.

Right from childhood, I have enjoyed films which belong to the thriller genre. As a kid, I would read novels written by Agatha Christie and James Hadley Chase.

For me, 'Badlapur' is a terrifically emotional film.

My idea is to write a story where every character is well etched out, irrespective of their gender. Because they all are human beings and stories are on the situation and human mind.

We all are scared of bad things… So when you are watching a film, you see your fears on the screen."

My second film ‘Johnny Gaddar’ got delayed because of financial reasons. The film was taken over by another production house and in the process we lost a year.

On a serious note, I just enjoy exploring the unconventional. I like Alfred Hitchcock; I actually grew up watching his films. A thriller gives you much more scope of exhibiting creativity in terms of playing with the camera and sound, as against a typical love story.

There are certain actors I think I can approach whenever I am working on something and Shah Rukh is one of those. He's somebody whom I'd love to work with.

My two bits here are that writing is a solitary job but there are times when one needs to discuss the work, and see what’s working and what’s not."

If I work with Shah Rukh, it will be as an actor, not a star. Whenever I have thought of making a film with some star in mind, I’ve abandoned the film in a few weeks."

I believe thrillers work if the story is good. It is not easy to make a thriller because the audience is making their own story in their minds as they watch the film. You have to break that expectation and still make them like the film.