Asira Tarannum (MID-DAY; February 4, 2014)

Director Maneesh Sharma now enjoys the distinction of being the first director under Yash Raj films to have turned producer. In a chat with HitList, the filmmaker — who takes on the mantle under Aditya Chopra’s guidance — also brushes aside rumours linking him to actress Parineeti Chopra. The actress, on her part, has already denied the buzz saying, “I love Maneesh and he has changed my life, but am not in a relationship with him. After my brother Saraj, Maneesh is my go-to person. I can wake him up in the middle of the night if I have a problem.” The filmmaker, on the other hand, had maintained silence on the subject so far. He now says that such talk doesn’t affect him. “I don’t pay attention to any of this. She is an actress and I know she cannot avoid the media and hence, has to answer such uncomfortable questions. I, however, choose to ignore such things. Parineeti is free to act with anyone. I hope that she does films with a lot of directors, and does well for herself. For me, it’s ultimately my work that should do the talking,” he says.

That said, his new role — that of a producer — has him all excited. “Director Sharad Kataria told me that he has a script, which I requested Adi to read and he liked it a lot. He then asked me to produce it,” he says.