"Juhi and Shah Rukh are like my own children" - Aziz Mirza

Though considerable time has elapsed since Aziz Mirza made his last film Chalte Chalte, nothing seems to have changed in his life. He first-and-foremost remains a thinking individual with working-class leanings, a filmmaker later.

"But my new film, for which we've found no suitable title as yet, is set in a foreign city. I made a conscious decision to move out of Mumbai this time. Since I last made a film, the process of globalization has been accelerated. I want to see how it affects my protagonist. But yes I'll continue to be taken up with the problems of the have-nots."

There's much speculation in the movie mart about how Aziz and his protégé Shah Rukh have drifted apart. Aziz is genuinely surprised. "Not at all. Juhi and Shah Rukh are like my own children. How can I move away from them? The only reason why Shah Rukh is not in my new film is because this role required a young boy, just out of college. In fact, the minute Juhi heard the role she said she could see a younger Shah Rukh in it. That how Shahid Kapoor came in."

Aziz Saab lapses into a flashback about Shah Rukh. "It's wrong to say I helped his career. Everyone has his destiny. Shah Rukh became an overnight star with Deewana. I remember they had shot half the film with another actor. Shah Rukh came into the project at that tale stage. If that isn’t destiny, what is? I've done four films with Shah Rukh. One doesn't have to continue working constantly with the ones whom one loves. Some relationships go beyond the professional. Shah Rukh is certainly one of them."

Ever since his wife Nirmala's death, Aziz Mirza has been in a state of seclusion. "Not really. It always takes me time to make my next film. Writing a film isn't an easy process. After Chalte Chalte I had to do a film that I was comfortable with," says the soft-spoken director.

Subash K Jha, TNN