Pradeep Sarkar has his fingers crossed as his second film, Laaga Chunari Mein Daag- Journey of a Woman, is going to be released next week. The soft-spoken director tells NT how he manages to rope in the crème de la creme stars, and his vision beyond films.

GETTING THE BEST

Pradeep, the celebrated adman is just about settling down in the director's seat, but somehow in both his films - Parineeta and the forthcoming release Laaga... - he has managed to rope in actors like, Saif Ali Khan, Vidya Balan, Rani Mukerji, Abhishek Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan. How did he manage these casting coups? "Well it is just luck, I can say. The actors have immense faith in me and I try to bring out the best in them. And don't forget, this time the Yash Raj banner did act like a catalyst too."

MINI KOLKATA

With so many Bengalis around, the sets of his film for sure, must have turned into a mini Kolkata. He laughs and replies, "Food wise yes. Maach hi maach tha and Bengali was the only means of conversation with Rani, Konkona and Jaya Bachchan around."

ON ABHISHEK

"Abhishek is an intense actor. Of course, he may not be the lead character in my film but he has this aura. It's the depth of the character that matters. He is full of zeal and energy and a person who leaves people in splits," says the director.

CHANGE IS CONSTANT

From being an adman to wearing the director's hat hasn't been an easy task for Pradeep. He says he likes to keep on trying new things. "I don't believe in pre-planning. It is best to keep climbing different mountains and never reach the peak. Once you reach the zenith, life is over," he sums up.

HIS ADDICTION

Speaking about himself, Pradeep says he is quite a workaholic and actually suffers guilt pangs if he's sitting idle. He says, "Work is an addiction for me. Once my movie is released, I will get cracking on something else. What's that going to be I have no clue. There is no such thing like a chutti for me."

HIS IDEAL

Pradip says he draws his inspiration from great filmmaker Satyajit Ray and adds, "I am an ardent admirer of Satyajit Ray. I study his works very minutely. The way he handled the subjects and got the best out of his actors, is simply remarkable. Of course, I also like the way the Hollywood directors handle subtlety, but back home, no one can dare to beat Ray."