Filmmaker Shoojit Sircar, who is helming the upcoming John Abraham and Nargis Fakhri-starrer Madras Café, says that the film is about the struggle that an intelligence officer faces when he tries to balance his professional and personal life. “The film has the Indo- Lanka relation as its backdrop and revolves around John Abraham who plays an intelligence officer. John is a great actor to work with,” says Shoojit, adding, “Nargis plays the role of a journalist and audience are in for a good surprise from her in the movie. She is brilliant.” Nargis made her Bollywood debut opposite Ranbir Kapoor in Rockstar.

Shoojit, who was recently quoted saying that item numbers are only required when a movie does not have a good script, clarified his statement and says that it just takes up added time and space without adding any real value to the film. “I feel that item numbers are used a bit too much. In many cases it (the item number) does not add any value to the film and becomes an object in the end, rather than being an action point in the film,” he explains.

Shoojit, who won rave reviews and good box office returns for his film Vicky Donor, that was also produced by John Abraham,  stressed on the importance of making a film within a budget. “When you see Life of Pi, you feel that the amount of money that has been spent, is justified. But if the budget can be controlled, what’s the point in wasting money? It is not necessary that because a big star is in a film, it has to be big budget,” he says.