Rensil D'Silva is a part of the rare breed of thinking writer-directors Bollywood. He won appreciation in for his writing in Rang De Basanti and though his stylishly told spythriller Kurbaan came unstuck at the box office, he continues to keep his market alive. With his second directorial venture Ungli all set to release tomorrow, he tells us what makes him tick.

Ungli gives out a cheeky message asking the common man to take on a corrupt system...
Ungli is a film for every Indian. For the first time in our country's history, the power is finally in the hands of the common man. We have cell phones that can record a corrupt official asking us for a bribe or an auto driver refusing to take us somewhere. All we have to do is record and upload it online. Social networking platforms have changed everything. In the film, the Ungli gang uses this to turn the tables on this corrupt system, but in a fun way.

Your films have been message driven - while Kurbaan dealt with terrorism, Ungli revolves around corruption. Wouldn't you want to try some brain-dead fun fare?
You can only make brain-dead entertainment for a corpse. Living, breathing people have to be engaged emotionally and intellec tually. I realised that when I wrote Rang De Basanti. It was entertaining, but it also had a message that people left the theatre with. People started candlelight marches that helped the Jessica Lal case, which is why Rang De... is relevant almost a decade later. Brain-dead entertainment would not have achieved this. In Ungli, I've used humour to deliver a message to young audiences.

Besides writing Aks and Rang De Basanti among others, you've also written your directorial projects. Writer-directors like you are a sought-after species. Comment...
I believe that writer-directors have total control of their material. So, what an audience sees on the screen is the purest form of that idea. It comes from one head. Some of the best directors in the world are fine writers.

You must have been upset that Ungli got delayed due to Sanjay Dutt's arrest...
Any director would be. But my discomfort was nothing compared to what was happening to Sanju.

Are you excited about directing the second season of 24?
I had a great time working with Anil Kapoor and Abhinay Deo in the first season. It was a game changer. I enjoyed writing the season with the writing team, as well as directing my seven episodes. We have a great idea for season two. Both Abhinay and I will be back to direct our share of episodes.

What's in the pipeline?
Mani Ratnam and I have been working on a biopic.I want to direct that next. Apart from that, I'm busy directing ads for my production house, Ignition Films, and completing my novel Kohinoor Express, an adventure thriller about the Kohinoor diamond.