It was an exciting challenge to direct Tiger Shroff and Kriti Sanon - Sabbir Khan

It's Sabbir Khan's second big directorial venture after Kambakkht Ishq and he would surely want to make this one count by delivering a blockbuster superhit. With all eyes trained on Tiger Shroff's debut, the stakes are higher this time around and in Sabbir's own words, he is both nervous and excited. We caught up with this soft spoken director for a one-on-one chat. Why did it take so long for you to direct a movie after Kambakkht Ishq way back in 2009? I just wanted to take some time off. I wanted to take a step back, process all the information I had on hand, learn and unlearn a few things, understand what people think and how they think. Filmmaking is my only passion. So I wanted to strive harder and come back with a better story and strong script after Kambakkht Ishq. What's the biggest lesson you learnt after Kambakkt Ishq? The biggest thing that I have learnt is that as a filmmaker, I also have a social responsibility towards my audience. There are many filmmakers who only aim for entertainment but I feel the need to make a film with some substance in it and not just merely for fun and entertainment. So how different is Heropanti? Heropanti although an out-and-out fun and entertaining film does have a lot of substance in it. For one, it does raise certain issues that are relevant in today's times -the dilemma between modernity and traditional values. On one hand, we have modern cities that are only getting more modern and on the other, villages are still rustic and traditional. Even today in large pockets of our country, there still exists honour killings. So we have touched upon these issues as well in the movie. Was Tiger the first choice to play the hero in Heropanti? See more than Tiger being the first choice, I think it was the script that chose Tiger. The script demanded two new faces and after I met Tiger and Kriti, I felt they would be apt for the script. Was it difficult directing two newcomers? Well yes, it is difficult because they don't come with the baggage of any previous experience. But more than being difficult, I think it was an exciting challenge to direct them because you can mould newcomers according to your vision. How is Tiger as an individual and an actor? Tiger is one of the best individuals I have ever come across. He has inherited all the good qualities of Jackie Shroff. He is polite, honest, shy and reserved. But he has a dual personality which comes to the fore when he faces the camera. Before the camera, he loses all his inhibitions and is full of fire. What about Kriti? Kriti is an intelligent girl and she brought in a lot of her own characteristics into the picture. She is a spontaneous actor. How much of leeway does Sajid Nadiadwala provide you with while directing? Forget about leeway, I was almost producing this film since Sajid was busy with Kick. And I have been associated with Sajid for a long time now. So this movie is like my home production. I had all the liberty in the world. You started off by assisting Mahesh Bhatt and David Dhawan. What are their specific qualities have you imbibed and used in your brand of filmmaking? Working with Mahesh Bhatt saab gave me the confidence and strength that I could direct a film. David Dhawan is an FTII graduate and he is an excellent technician. In fact, both these filmmakers know what the pulse of the audience is and they make films accordingly. I have learnt the art of storytelling and understanding audience's pulse from both these filmmakers. What's next after Heropanti? I have a couple of scripts spinning in my head but I am so full of Heropanti right now that I can decide on my future projects only after the movie releases.(smiles)