He is all praise for actress Priyanka Chopra though his favourites are light-eyed beauties Aishwarya Rai and Kareena Kapoor. ‘Her sex appeal is good enough for her to make it big on the international circuit. And she is very talented. I would love to work with her. I think she is the next big thing in Bollywood.’ He wants to work to SRK, who hasn’t agreed to star in his film as yet. ‘Everybody knows about SRK’s whims and fancies. He hasn’t said yes to my film as yet, which is why the casting is still open and I will be meeting other actors.’

Schrader has watched 110 Hindi films and realized that there is a lot of sexual content in Hindi films. About his own Bollywood film, he says, ‘It’s a complete Bollywood masala flick, replete with the song and dance routine. Mushtaq Sheikh is my screenwriter. Indian films have a lot of sex these days. New York had John in the buff and Kambakkht Ishq had some sizzling kissing scenes between Kareena and Akshay. That is why I have asked Mushtaq not to tone down anything, though I might have an international cut for the film.’

His untitled film will be shot in Mumbai, which he describes as a strange sight. ‘You see tall buildings with a slum squeezed in between. You know, it’s a romantic sight for a filmmaker.’ Paul Schrader is in town for the MAMI festival. He has written iconic films like Taxi Driver and Raging Bull, among others.

SEE: Priyanka on Farah Khan's chat show Tere Mere Beach Mein