It took almost five years for Rajkumar Hirani to finish his upcoming project 'PK' and the director, known for his 'Munnabhai' series and '3 Idiots', says he would rather make fewer films than compromise on his story for quick money.
In his decade-long career as a director, Hirani, 52, has made just four films -- 'Munnabhai MBBS', 'Lage Raho Munnabhai', '3 Idiots' and 'PK'.
Considered among the best filmmakers in Bollywood today for his knack of wedding social issues with an entertaining storyline, Hirani says his success formula is just "patience and a lot of rewriting."
"You keep battling your own work in a sense. There are two ways to look at this... After making a hit, I could make more money by signing five more films or try to better my previous work. I choose to follow the second path rather than run after money. This is the attempt always, whether I succeed or fail," Hirani told PTI in an interview.
The director says he found the courage to stick to his convictions after the surprise success of his first film in 2003.
"When I made the first 'Munnabhai' film, I thought it would be a middle-of-the-road movie, would be liked but won't be as successful as Yash Raj films or the ones that Karan (Johar) made. Fortunately, it was not only liked but did well commercially. That gave me confidence to stick to what I believe in," Hirani says.
The director credits his writing collaborator Abhijat Joshi for not tiring as they struggle to come up with something unique with every film.
"100 years of Indian cinema has happened. Anything you do, feels like it has already been done. The struggle is to find a new and unique idea. After that, it is a lot of patience. You keep writing and rewriting till you are happy. Script is the real foundation."
'PK' starring Aamir Khan, Anushka Sharma, Sanjay Dutt and Sushant Singh Rajput in key roles, is releasing this Friday. Hirani says it was a particularly difficult film to crack.
