directed Salaam Namaste, but it deals with a relationship that Bollywood has so far ignored "" that of a live-in couple. And with current hotties Preity Zinta and the Calvin Klein underwear-sporting Saif Ali Khan starring in this Rs 13-crore blockbuster, the bets are on on it pulling in the crowds at the box-office.
But if the stars are big, the director isn't. At least so far. Anand suggests there are bigger and better directors in Mumbai, so the break is a critical one for him. "There's no dearth of talent in the industry," he acknowledges.
However, he has been working hard for some time. First it was Rahul Rawail's Kuchh Khatti Kuchh Meethi, which flopped. Then he moved to the Yash Raj camp and helped with Mujhse Dosti Karogi. But his hardwork was noticed during the making of Hum Tum where he reportedly hit it off with Saif Ali Khan.
Little surprise, then, that his next story was written keeping Saif in mind. Luckily for him, Aditya Chopra approved of the script and Salaam Namaste was launched.
Though Anand admits that he's been lucky, he's keeping his fingers crossed on his first independent directorial venture.
