“When I say I was homeschooled, many think there was so much I lost. But no! I believe that there’s so much I gained. It’s such a different experience and it has made me who I am. But it all started because I was too tall and didn’t want to face all that bullying in school. I was 6 feet in class 7! So I lived with my grandfather, who was into politics and studied in Delhi and Bihar. Growing up, I was never asked to pray or to live life in a certain way, and that shaped my thoughts and ideas too. My family is atheist and I dislike
human company. Rather, I prefer dogs. There are the only creatures I miss when I’m
travelling.

Then there’s cinema, of course! It was always a part of my life. I never watched too many Telugu films, except that of Mahesh Babu. In class 10, I decided to be a director. I joined the Whistling Woods International Institute in Mumbai and
learnt all about filmmaking there. That was the time I understood that direction is a small part of a film. I enjoyed the idea of a brand in cinema more. Brand identity lets you do so much more than just direct. My plan was always to do something groundbreaking in the cinema and I don’t see a better way than building a brand. It also allows me to support any director who wants to make a change by putting all that he has at stake. With whatever I have, I will support a person like that.

In the middle of all this was my phase with Ram Gopal Varma (RGV). I worked with him on 25 films, last being Officer. I was out and over after that. RGV is a chain of reaction. What he thinks when he starts a film and what his thoughts are in the middle of the schedules are different. He gets into another tangent. But that’s just him and there’s so much to learn. He’s highly influential and he is a brand name. No matter who the lead cast is, if it’s his film, it is his. That’s what brand does. I love the idea of it. I have my own company now and I have a couple of projects in hand too. My aim is to be a brand.”

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