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[huma]

Rajkumar Hirani is generous to a fault. At his office in Bandra, he is busy distributing books to the people around him. Having just returned from New York after a heavy-duty scripting session, the filmmaker is in a gregarious mood.

Filmfare has chosen him the top-ranking director. And the trade is waiting with bated breath to know what Raju will make next, especially since his 3-Idiots is the biggest hit in Bollywood history.

Raju dismisses speculation about making a movie called Hey Bhagwan on 300 Gods. “We have 33 crore Gods,’’ he says, “Why would I choose 300 of those? Unless of course, people think that in three hours I can only accommodate 300. Anyway the important issue here is that I will be making a movie on religion. But media reports saying it deals with 300 Gods is wrong. My writer Abhijat Joshi is here. And we have just got a fix on the idea. The script itself is still to be written. I’m also writing Munnabhai.’’

Asked whether he was flattered to be voted the number one director, Raju says, “My parents will be happy for sure. I will mail them a copy of the latest Filmfare. However, I don’t want to fall into this trap of numbers. I believe that today I’m on top because of 3-Idiots. Tomorrow there may be no film or there could be a film that has not done very well.

This can happen. So why fall into this trap? I believe that each film is my first film and I give it all I have. Just because I have three good films behind me, it doesn’t make me all-powerful. I have to still strive to give my best to whatever I undertake. A filmmaker is only as good as his last film.’’

He also dismisses constant media speculation on whether he will make his next with Aamir Khan or Shah Rukh Khan. Says he, “I have worked with the best — Aamir. However, I can’t say who the leading man in my next film is unless I have a ready script. I don’t write films keeping an actor in mind. It goes the other way around.’’

Raju believes that Bollywood is going through the best phase. “While ten years ago we only made love stories with the song-dance fix, now we have makers like Vishal Bhardwaj, Anurag Kashyap and Imtiaz Ali doing different work. Each has his own style and strength. And Hindi cinema is certainly poised for a great take-off.’’ And finally is the world really his oyster? “Yes it is... but I can’t eat it all as the phrase says. I must still be content with eating only a small morsel. In other words, I will continue to make one film in two years. If I get greedy, I will fall flat on my face.’’