At 41, I feel more creative and liberated: Sanjay Gupta

Mumbai, May 18 (IANS) Producer-director Sanjay Gupta, who turned 41 last month, says he is at his creative best now. While shooting for "Alibaug" is complete and "Woodstock Villa" is set for release, his "Acid Factory" has also gone on floors.

"Today at 41, I feel more creative and liberated," Gupta remarked.

Creativity apart, the director has also acquired a new set of friends after shooting "Alibaug" and all of them celebrated his birthday together on April 14.

"I spent the evening with my close friends - photographer Jeetu Savlani, Sameer Soni, Sanjay Suri, Sudhanshu Pande, Priyanshu Chatterjeee, Rohit Roy and my wife Anu. And of course Manoj Bajpai and his wife Shabana who are the closest to me after my wife. Anu is my bestest friend," Gupta told IANS.

"They're people whom I can depend on at any hour of the day. On my birthday Jeetu Savlani gifted me a bicycle. It took me back to my schooldays when I was a champion cyclist. Now I love the bicycle more than my motorbike."

"Most of these people I befriended during the making of 'Alibaug'. They've been on board during this bumpy ride of mine. And I know they aren't with me to get work. They aren't moving on like people generally do after a film. We're extremely close."

But Manoj and his wife Shabana, known by her screen name Neha, are special.

"Whenever I'm lonely and low I just ring Shabana up and ask her to cook a meal for me. And I go over."

Gupta's philosophy in life is simple. "I keep thinking positively. If people are upset with me I'm sorry about it," he said.

And there's good news for Gupta's "Acid Factory" - Bipasha Basu, who had opted out of the film as she was unhappy with her role, may be back after all.

"We had finalised Bipasha. But then our dates were clashing with the Bachchans' world tour. But now that she isn't going on the tour we're trying to get her back. We've made the changes in the script she wanted. Ego never came in the way, not when she made constructive suggestions," Gupta clarified.

Gupta's next release "Woodstock Villa" is around the corner.

"The promos are on. And in spite of all that was written about Sikandar Kher's launch film being jinxed, you just see what the film does to the boy. The girl Neha is my sister's daughter. But in spite of the fact that I've fallen out with her father Dharam Oberoi, she's being promoted just as strongly as Sikandar."

Though Neha's voice has been dubbed, the director says it will only bring her good luck.

"Let me put it this way. When they started, even Sridevi, Rani Mukherjee, Katrina Kaif and Bipasha Basu's voices were dubbed. I'd say it's a good-luck charm. I dubbed her voice for good luck," Gupta said.

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Alibaug