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Mumbai, Apr 17: He was in town for a day just for the muhurat of ‘best friend’ KM Chaitanya’s Suryakanti. AR Murugadoss.

And as he flits in and out of the city on a tight schedule — he had a meeting with Aamir Khan in Mumbai later the same evening — there are numerous Kannada producers who’re chasing Murugadoss for dates. Some are even narrating scripts to him on the spot!

So, how does the shy, reticent director manage to make films that are such crowd-pullers? “I’m an ordinary guy and love to interact with people. My only aim is to stay sincere to my profession. I don’t lead a life like the heroes in my films,” he laughs.

He’s one among the few directors from the south who has shot into the big league in Bollywood. Has he experienced the north-south divide? “I don’t think the divide will affect directors as long as you cater to their taste. In the north, people are very easy-going and chilled out. And they like their films to reflect the same spirit. Down south, we like our films slightly over-the-top; you can’t help it because the culture demands that. So, you have to be aware of the cultural differences when you make a film in B-town. Luckily, Ghajini had a universal theme; It would have been rejected otherwise,” observes Murugadoss.

He also points out that while Bollywood lacks creativity, it makes up for it by being highly organised. “I didn’t have to do anything on the sets except call for the shots. In addition to the schedule of the day, even the time of the sunrise, sunset, the nearest hospital, fire service — every little detail was given to me. The industry there functions like the military. In the south, it’s more like guerrilla warfare!” smiles the director.

In his interviews, he’s often been quoted saying that he found Aamir better than Surya. “I didn’t compare the two. I just felt that given Surya’s age, he excelled at romantic scenes. But since Aamir is a middle-aged actor, obviously he can’t sport a romantic image — so he was better as an action hero.”
So, now he must have all the biggies in B-town chasing him. “Yeah, now the stars come to me! Talks are on for a project with Shah Rukh Khan; it’ll be a romantic comedy. But it’ll take a couple of months to take off,” he says, adding, “But my dream is to direct Kamal Haasan.”

Murugadoss takes success very lightly — how does he stay so grounded? “I’ve been an assistant director for some years and have also directed a couple of flops. I know the power of failure and the kind of pain it brings along,” he explains.

Not many know that Murugadoss is a fan of namma Uppi Dada. “I’ve watched his A and Om, and would love to make a film in Kannada one day. But only if it’s a straight subject because Ghajini is my last remake,” he asserts.