Mahesh Bhatt Quotes

"The world is not a static place. People change, evolve."

"There is a child in every man, and that's why larger-than-life stories which have a fairly tale component will work."

"Life experiences cannot be learnt on the film set or in front of the camera."

"I am an absolute atheist."

"The tragedy of India is that the Mahatma, who has numerous streets named after him and has had his statues put up everywhere, who's there in our school books and on our currency, who is used by everyone to hardsell his political ideology, is not emulated in India."

"I would rather be stupid than pretend to be intelligent."

"'Dhoka,' I think, is not just meant for Pakistan and India but for South Asia."

"I don't think the choice of launching Sunny Leone as an actor in Hindi cinema was that radical a decision."

"In a country like India, with an ever-changing demography, adaptability is the most important attribute to survive in the industry."

"It would be a tragedy for democracy if dissent goes away."

"Cinema is not part of my entertainment."

"'Zakhm' was my last film as a director."

"My life screams out and says one thing: 'indulgence.' I am a person who would never deny myself anything."

"Vijay Anand's death marks the passing away of a true, original mind. Vijay had charisma and cinematic dazzle. He was the first who gave Indian film directors the status of a star."

"Life continues, irrespective of whether we are there or not."

"We as men, need to give the Indian women all the strength that she needs, rightfully asking to be able to walk with head held high."

"I think one of the basest of all things is fear. Fear erodes the individual. Fear erodes the nation, the spine of the nation."

"I felt it was a privilege that I came from such a rich background. I had the best of both worlds. My mother was a Shia Muslim, while my father was a janoi-clad man. He never pretended to be secular."

"I can understand the individual who is driven by biases. I can sit with him across the table and can talk to him, deal with him. But bias in the man whom we put in the seat of power and who decides to play on it... That man will destroy the very fabric of the nation."

"'Zakhm' has no political agenda. But, it certainly says things as they are."

"Men who create power make an indispensable contribution to a nation's greatness. But, men who question power make a contribution just as indispensable."

"If the story-teller is to nourish the roots of his culture, society must set him free to follow his vision wherever it takes him."

"I believe that, at times, if some of us are almost too critical of our society, it's because our sensitivity and our concern for justice makes us aware that our nation falls terribly short of its highest potential."

"Questioning authority can hardly be called our national pastime. We even make a philosophy out of fear. Fatalism, destiny, karma... are the favourite cultural holes we hide in when authority flogs us. And what's our tragedy."

"I personally feel that religion should be kept private."

"I feel it is the believers who are most dangerous for the secular framework of a nation."

"I am a people's person. I consume people."

"I love to inspire and get inspired."

"I love people who have distinctive, unique personalities who are not in assembly lines and have something to offer."

"A long and productive career in the world of films is bound to be checkered with success and failures. You cannot have one without the other; the only way not to make a flop is not to make a film."