Clint Eastwood comes up rather frequently in your conversations.
Clint Eastwood is the ultimate action hero, an icon. He’s so old and still so good. His films, like Dirty Harry, are iconic. And now as a director he’s made brilliant films that are also economical. He set up a production house called Mal Passo which means Bad Step in Mexican. I am inspired but, no, there is nothing common between us. Film characters can sometimes become paternal influences. When people really look up to you, you stand for something.

Films are all about the balance of art (critical acclaim) and commerce (box-office success). As an actor and producer, what tilts the scales for you?
Actors have an appetite for different things — so it all depends on your thirst to be critically-acclaimed or popular. And then there are actors that have struck a balance. Richard Burton, for example, has done a lot of theatre and films. Among my films, Being Cyrus and Ek Haseena Thi were offbeat but not for the sake of being offbeat.

Usually, actors who turn producers do it for helming films with themselves. Is Illuminati, your company, going to be any different? Also, since you have at your disposal quite a talent pool — your mother, sister and Kareena, would the banner then produce films with them?
People make films for their children, so why not for people you are fond of or related to? But a producer should try and be faithful to the film. The director has to take a call on the actors and that’s the way it should be. We would work with different actors and directors. At the moment there are two films with me (Love Aaj Kal and Agent Vinod). If I don’t suit the part I would happily step aside for someone who does.

... contd.