He is one of India's most successful filmmakers and has spawned any number of imitations of his dreamy romances. But Yash Chopra disarmingly says that he is as "nervous as a newcomer" about his latest Veer-Zaara.

The indefatigable movie mogul is ready with his first directorial effort in seven years after five decades of trend-setting hits like Dhool Ka Phool, Waqt, Kabhi Kabhie and Dil To Pagal Hai.

The mega director took time off to talk while putting finishing touches to his ambitious India-Pakistan love story to discuss the recipe for his abiding success.
From Dhool Ka Phool to Dhoom, there has never been a success like yours.
God is kind. I don't deserve all this success. There's no formula for success, except a pure soul. Look at Lata Mangeshkar, she's an example. Like her, I'm completely focused on my work. I've never looked back. I've always taken risks. When in 1995, my son directed Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, the overseas distributors started acting tough. So we opened our own offices abroad. Today we've our own overseas network all over the world.

God gave me so much money for Dilwale Dulhaniya... I decided to invest it in a dream studio. That dream, too, is on the verge of completion. Now I'm ready to release my first film in seven years, and I'm as nervous as a newcomer.

Why this long hiatus?
My son Aditya made Mohabbatein, which took a lot of time and energy. Then we started looking for a script for me to direct. Nothing seemed to excite us both. There's a complete bankruptcy of screenwriting in our cinema. I wanted a very earthy and Indian subject. I was tired of the promos on television. They all looked the same with semi-clad girls. Of course Dhoom has them too. But I'd personally not make a film like that.

With Veer-Zaara around the corner I'm as nervous as I was when I directed my first film Dhool Ka Phool. At that time I was judged as BR Chopra's younger brother. Then in 1973 I was again nervous as a schoolboy on his first day of school when I branched out on my own to produce and direct Daag. I knew I was doomed if it failed. I remember the first trial show 12 days before release. People praised me. But I could see the hesitation about the controversial subject - a man with two wives. And my leading man Rajesh Khanna had as many as eight flops prior to Daag. But to my relief, the film was a super hit on the first day.

Why this sense of secrecy about your new directorial venture?
Perhaps people are more curious than we're secretive (laughs)! Veer-Zaara is one of the most difficult films I've ever made. We had no time to think of anything else but how to complete the film. We needed to shoot in Punjab during a particular season. By the grace of God we got all the stars' dates. When we returned we completed the indoors shooting. So people presumed we were secretive about the project because of its sensitive (India-Pakistan) subject. But the fact is we didn't get time to make announcements.

Why have you chosen to make a cross-border romance?
I'll tell you something, I had finalised another script. Even the casting was done. At this point my son Aditya came up with another idea. He told me he couldn't make film on this subject, and I have to do it. He narrated a few scenes, and I was hooked. Though it's a film about cross-border love, there isn't a word of politics in it. Forget politics, there isn't even a raised voice in Veer-Zaara. It's a very intense, humane and emotional story.

Veer-Zaara is a humble tribute to my home in Punjab. It's my tribute to the oneness of people on both sides of the border. Shah Rukh Khan has given his career's best performance in Veer-Zaara. Though he's cast with two leading ladies, it isn't a triangle. Shah Rukh's love interest is played by Preity Zinta. I wanted a girl whose look and entire personality could be transformed. She's always presented as tomboyish and westernised. In Veer-Zaara I wanted to change her into something different.

The music of Veer-Zaara is composed by the late composing genius Madan Mohan. How did that happen?
For me there's no creativity without challenge. With Veer-Zaara, I've taken on another challenges. The music isn't what I'd call a routine music. I feel it isn't just music, we're trying actually trying to create history here.

The tunes were composed by Madan Mohan and kept away. Unfortunately he died young. When I planned Veer-Zaara, I approached a number of other music directors but nothing worked out. It was then that Madan Mohan's son Sanjeev Kohli who's the CEO of my company suggested I listen to his father's unused tunes. From the hundreds of tunes we selected around 30 and they were dummy-recorded. The music fitted my theme completely. Almost 30 years after his death we've recorded his tunes in his and my favourite voice Lata Mangeshkar. When she came for the recording she had tears in her eyes.

You share a very special rapport with her?
Lataji has always been so kind to me. As long as I am there and she's there she'll continue to sing for my films. And if we're creating history in Veer-Zaara by reviving the melodies of Madan Mohan, how can she not be there? And she's sung like an angel. That a 75 year old lady can sing like this is unbelievable.

When she sang for Dhool Ka Phool, I was in awe of her. Today I'm much closer to her. But the awe still remains. I'm a very small player in the Indian film industry. She's given so much more. Today, the two of us have come together with lyricist Javed Akhtar to pay homage to one of our greatest music composers.

You've also launched your own music company.
I never intended to start my own music company. But the music business is in the doldrums. All the music companies are dictating terms on how albums should look and sound. To keep my head high I've started my music company with Veer-Zaara.

Even the music of my production Dhoom has become a hit though there're no romantic songs in the film. People wonder how this film could come from my banner. But Dhoom has nothing to do with me directly. To keep the company going we need talent from outside. Let directors come to our banner from the outside with their own sensibilities.

How do you explain the immense success of your productions like Hum Tum and Dhoom that you didn't direct?
That's my son Aditya Chopra's domain. He handles the creative side of our productions. I handle the financial aspect. When Aditya or I make film then we discuss everything in detail. But a film like Dhoom is orchestrated entirely by him. Being a romantic film Hum Tum wasn't so costly. But Dhoom was very expensive. We had to import eight-nine motorbikes. Australian stuntmen participated. Production costs shot up. The film was made without any major stars. Abhishek, John Abraham, Esha Deol and my younger son Uday aren't really big stars - the film is doing unbelievable business. I think Dhoom worked for its young international look. Though I'm the producer, I don't have anything to do with Dhoom's creativity.

And yet in the 1970s you made action films like Deewar, Kala Patthar and Trishul?
Those subjects came to me and I liked them. But thereafter I had a series of failures like Vijay, Parampara and Faasle. Then one day I was driving down to town from my home in suburbs of Mumbai. Every hoarding that I saw had men holding guns in their hands. I realised I was losing my way. I believed in romantic films, so why wasn't I making them? That's how I made Chandni. Its success reaffirmed my faith in my vision and my audience. That faith has stood by me all these years.