Madhur Bhandarkar's brand of cinema is of course women-centric and reality-based, but it also is gutsy with a big element of 'khulasa' in it. His film Calendar Girls that releases today may have been made on a moderate budget, shot over just 41 days with five newcomers, but it has all the ingredients of a typical Madhur Bhandarkar film, be it shock value, emotion, drama and most important, a big element of revelation. We ask the filmmaker a quick set of questions on why we should see his film today. Excerpts:

What made you make a film on the subject of Calendar Girls?
I felt that Calendar Girls is a subject that has never been told. It happened because one of my office boys while cleaning the office was holding some 4-5 calendars. After flipping through some of the calendars, I wondered where these girls went and what happens to them after they become Calendar Girls? 99% of these girls are not successful and a minority goes on to becoming stars and superstars. As a filmmaker, I have made a number of films based on the glamour world, be it Fashion, Heroine or PAGE 3, and I felt that the story behind these Calendar Girls needed to be told. After one year when the new calendar comes out, the old ones are totally forgotten. I started doing research and got so much material that I decided that I had to make a film on this. I met a lot of Calendar Girls. While some were forthcoming, some were hesitant, some didn't want to talk and some who liked my films felt that I would do justice to this subject. All asked for their identities to never be revealed. And I never will ever reveal any of their identities. While some girls have moved abroad, some have changed their profession. This film talks about another facet of the glamour world and over just two hours and eight minutes, shows the past, present and future of a Calendar Girl through the stories of five girls in the film.

The man who introduced and glamourised the idea of the Calendar Girls was Vijay Mallya. Suhel Seth told us in his interview that Mallya had offered to play himself in the film. Is that true?
I personally know Vijay sir for the last decade. He has always appreciated my movies. Yes that's true, he did tell me that he would have been happy to play himself. But that's because he is an extremely gracious man.

What were the key highlights of your research?
I would like my audience to watch the film and see that, but I could tell you that it has intrigue, a lot of revelations, emotional content and while it will make you laugh too, it will shock you in places and finally leave you with moist eyes.

Your films are based on reality. How much of Calendar Girls is based on truth?
Almost 75% is truth. 25% I had to tweak it and have taken cinematic liberty. I have kept certain people in mind while making the film, who may have had apprehensions knowing that I was making a film on the subject of Calendar Girls. I remember when I was about to start shooting Heroine, I was standing at the traffic signal of Versova when a bookseller who knew me, came to me and said, 'Sir, since you showed our life at traffic signals, our dhanda has come down a lot. Now you are making a film on Bollywood, so I want that just like you exposed our life, you will tell us about your industry too and will not feel scared.' Somewhere that really shook me. He was so right. I took that cue from that guy and while there are always people who may get upset with me, I do make films fearlessly, pushing the envelope in each of my films. I feel when people can read about it, can gossip in corridors, can see it on TV sometimes, why can't they see it as a film? Why wonder whether Madhur Bhandarkar is targeting anyone? A model's life is very different from that of an actress' life. Again, a Page 3 journalist has a very different life than that of a Calendar Girl.

Which world did you find most interesting?
Every world is interesting. Page 3 world was about being 'superficial', the fashion world was all about the 'void' and while Heroine dealt with 'the changing Friday to Friday equations', the world of Calendar Girls is clearly about 'the short-lived life'.

Given that you have always made only heroine-led films, will you ever work with a hero in your life?
I will definitely work with a hero in my life provided I have a subject to make such a film.

Why did you choose to work with new girls for Calendar Girls?
Yes I made a Chandni Bar with a Tabu, but I also made PAGE 3 with a newcomer Konkona Sen Sharma. Yes, I made Corporate with a big star like Bipasha Basu, but I also made Traffic Signal with newcomers Kunal Kemmu and Neetu Chandra. I am a concept-driven filmmaker. I am a storyteller. I sell concepts and take stars only when I need them.

What next?
I want to make a thriller on the underworld. I also want to tell a simple love story without any khulasa.