How would you defend your cast of John, Katrina Kaif and Neil Nitin Mukesh since all of them are not known for their histrionic abilities?
John is completely a director’s actor. He is like a little baby in your hands and it’s up to you to make him believe in the character. He is so secure as an actor that he has stopped looking at just his character and instead looks at the entire film. I’m very impressed with his holistic approach and I’m confident that New York will be recognized as one of his mature performances. Neil has a certain vulnerability that was needed for the character of Omar. As for Katrina, she is the surprise package. You’ve never seen her in a space like this and she will shock a lot of people. You expect Katrina Kaif to be a diva and she is one but in this film she plays a very natural character shorn of any make-up.

The industry regards you as the serious face of Yash Raj Films. How do you manage that?
(Laughs) I know everybody says that but I don’t want to be the serious dude. I’ve got this tag because my films deal with larger issues. I have no objection if you say that within Yash Raj, I deal with subjects more realistically. That is a tag I’ll be happy to flaunt but serious, no way.

There is buzz that New York and Karan Johar's production, Qurbaan (directed by Rensil D' Silva) have the same script?
Yes, this rumour has been floating in the industry. I don’t know who has circulated this ridiculous story. I don’t know anything about Rensil’s film other than that it also deals with the common space of urban terrorism and that it has also been shot in New York and Philadelphia. Somebody even wrote that both the films are inspired by the Hollywood film, Arlington Road. I’ve seen that film and I don’t even like it. If I had to copy a film, I wouldn’t have spent 11 months of my life writing the script of New York.

... contd.