‘People will react according to their morality’

That’s a conscious decision — we don’t want it to be over-exposed since it needs to be seen in the right context. A few scenes from the film are already available online so we’ve had a year-long unofficial promotion in a way (laughs). But with this film,we are treading a new path — we have tied up with international distributors to release the film for diaspora markets like Korea,Australia,southern Europe and Scandinavia.

So is the international market your priority for TGIYB ?

No,the focus market will always be India because this is the market that supports me a lot. We are heading out this time because now the international distributors are familiar with the cinema India has been making recently. With international funding coming my way,I can now give my films a larger audience.

The promos indicate that the film explores the city’s underbelly without dramatising it. Won’t the raw treatment shock the Indian viewers and drive them away?

It is the kind of film India has not seen before. TGIYB is also a test film for me and the audience. The response will indicate where the Indian film industry is headed and also,if I can push my boundaries further.

The reactions will depend on each one’s morality. It is a disturbing film because it talks about things no one wants to talk about. That said,most women,who have seen the film at the festivals and trial runs,have loved it and connected with it. It’s the middle-aged man,mostly,who cannot handle it. The story is woven around a girl (played by wife Kalki Koechlin) in search of her father. But at the end of the day,it is a thriller that doesn’t let go of you.

How did Koechlin end up as the writer of this film?

The film’s idea was mine — it came from many newspaper reports,impressions of books that I’ve read and from Kalki’s personal experiences. Kalki brought a lot into it because she has the experience of being white in a country like ours where even an Indian woman is objectified. She has seen how men look at her and suddenly change,in their behaviour and language where they attempt to talk in English. Yet,it wasn’t easy for her to play the role.

Why do you say that?

Her biggest fear is how she may be perceived after the film releases. Middle-class morality affects Indian cinema in such a way that no actor wanted to play the abusive father in Onir’s I Am,which is why I stepped in. When an actor does a good job of portraying a certain character,people are unable to look beyond it.

Most of your films get an adult censor certification. Losing a chunk of the audience doesn’t bother you?

I want to be honest to the subject of my films. If the audience cannot deal with it,it is their problem. And the definition of adult films in our country is from a child’s point of view. Here,‘adult’ refers to the film whose contents will “spoil” a child,and not those films that should be viewed by people who will be able to think for themselves.

So do you make films for yourself or for the audience?

I make films for a like-minded audience. I make films that people will remember for whatever reasons. I am fine if they love it or hate it. It is indifference that bothers me. I know the risks involved and so I make my films on a tight budget. TGIYB ,along with marketing expenses,does not cross Rs 3.5 crores.