I had to let go of many things because we did not have much money growing up. Like joining the Film Institute in Pune or learning the piano.

I've always been told that because of 'Main Hoon Na,' a lot of female filmmakers have come up but I maintain that direction is a ‘genderless' job."

For me feminism is equality.

It is really a sad state of affairs if I am still the only commercially successful woman director. We need a lot more commercially viable women, not only in direction.

I don't think it's been healthy what I've done in my life to get to where I am mentally and otherwise, but it is the path I've chose. I'm not married, no family, and my hobbies are my loves.

Dad, Dad, I'm getting married.' 'Sh-sh, don't say it. Nothing, nothing. Don't do anything.' So he honestly - 'cause he was taught don't celebrate - they'll take it away from you. And his parents were taught that, and his parents and parents' parents. Because if you did celebrate, and you were visible, it could be very, very dangerous.

Saw a wedding in the church. It was strange to see what delight we married people have to see these poor fools decoyed into our condition.

I was 12 and read my first romance novel; it was a sweeping desert saga, and I got to the end of it and was like, 'I want to go back and start all over again!' That emotional response to the book and getting to the end of a story you love is what inspires me to write the next book.