Is it true you only shot in real locations in New York?
Yes, blame that on my documentary background. I hate shooting on sets and thrive on actual locations. We shot the entire film in a 100-day single schedule. We shot in New York and Philadelphia. Since we planned and organised well, the authorities also cooperated with us. We managed to shoot in crowded places and even shut down busy roads. In Philadelphia, we shut down the main street downtown, The Market Street, from 9 am to 5 pm on a weekend.

How would you describe New York, the city?
New York is not a city; it’s a different country in itself. It’s the only place in the world where you can find people of all nationalities. I’ve shot a lot in NYC; my most memorable shoots are my interview with slain journalist Daniel Pearl’s widow, Mariane Pearl, and the 50th anniversary of the United Nations. In all my assignments I’ve found that New York’s locations are like characters.

John Abraham has said that the torture scene in the film affected him emotionally and mentally.
Well, I can’t give details because then the pleasure of watching the scene will be lost. But I will tell you that New York is a realistic film which is based on true events. We’ve taken details from documented evidence. The world knows that post-9/11 torture sessions were harrowing. Even Americans were shocked at their severity when the details emerged. We shot the torture scene in an actual prison for three days. It was very tough for John, physically and mentally. It took him some time to shake off its effects.

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