Well, he managed to get a grant for a masters' programme in film-making at the New York University and came back to Mumbai to make short films and documentaries on everything from textile techniques to politics.

And then made English August?

Yes, though it sounds a lot easier than it actually proved for Dev. "It took me a long time to make the film simply because it was very tough convincing people to put their money on a subject that dealt with a new multilingual reality (we had five languages in the film), and the conflict between the traditional and the modern. When I approached NFDC, they humiliated me -- which is their standard response.

Strangely, when my film was ready, they came back and said they wanted to distribute it!" Which, of course, Dev wouldn't hear of.

So how did he get around the problem of raising money?

"Luckily, my French co-producers werelooking at a new kind of cinema and offered to back the film. Though it took me two years to convince them. But even after we finished the project, no Indian distributor was willing to touch it, till finally, 20th Century Fox picked it up."

But why English August to begin with?

"See, I didn't want to do the usual arthouse production -- those are `behalfist' films. Moreover, my guiding principle is something Satyajit Ray once said: `Whenever you make a film, it must have density and it must ring true'. When I read Upamanyu Chatterjee's novel, I found it had a reality one could relate to. Besides, I wanted to make a film about my generation."

now it's considered a path-breaking film that paved the way for Hyderabad Blues and Bombay Boys.

"This was something people told me long after English August released -- that it changed the nature of cinema in this country, by showing the India that's relevant and a new, mature reality. Like the fact that Agastya Sen, theprotagonist, feels dislocated, and is in a dilemma because of his diverse experiences."

Is there a technique to adapting a novel for the big screen?

"Yes, you need to get all the right cinematic equivalents. English August had an aesthetic of fragmentation -- there's no single, solid narrative line. And finding this was the key to the success of the screenplay."

English August released a good four years ago. What has he done since?

Being a stickler for perfection, Dev has spent all his time working on his next two projects, Split Wide Open, which is nearing completion, and another screen adaptation -- this time, Kiran Nagarkar's Ravan and Eddie.

What's Split Wide Open all about?

"It's the story of modern India, the story of a search. There's a hustler who sells tap water to the poor and mineral water to the NRIs. And there's a television talk show hostess, an expat Indian. The film is all about how their two worlds collide with eachother."

Interesting. But where is Split Wide Open

coming from?

The first image of Mumbai that's stuck in Dev's head ever since he set foot in the city. "I saw this long line of people queuing up to collect water at Colaba. Ironically, just behind them, there was a huge expanse of sea! That to me was Mumbai."

And he has retained many actors from the English August cast --including Rahul Bose and Shivaji Satam -- and roped in Laila Rouass to play the television hostess.

"I spent a lot of time casting Laila's role. Though her selection had nothing to do with the fact that she happens to be a veejay. In fact, I've never seen anything my actors have done outside of my own projects."

Why is that so?

"Because if I see something really bad, it could colour my opinion."

Point taken. So what is it about cinema that excites him the most?

"It's an incredible refuge because it creates an alternate world -- there's an element of magic to it. Apart from which, it is verysatisfying because it's the best way I can express myself and bring together all my interests -- music, photography and painting."

And what does Dev do when he's not spinning dreams?

"Catch up on my reading, practice photography and listen to a lot of music. But I truly unwind only with my computer -- I am an absolute Mac-addict."