While in New York to attend the screening of Monsoon Shootout at SAIFF 2013, here’s what Vijay Varma had to say about working on the film- where he plays a young and idealistic police officer new to the job – and what he has coming up next.

What’s one memory from making Monsoon Shootout that comes to mind when you think back on it?

It was a test of memory.

In what way?

There are multiple scenarios that I am witnessing in the film and in each scenario different things happen and there’s slight differences in the way that I’m behaving and I have to remember on which day I’m shooting what and what has happened in the past and what will happen in the future.

It was your first time working with Amit Kumar, what was he like as a director?

I think I’ve found a term for him.  We’ve all heard of method actors, but he’s a method director.

How so?

If there’s a scene in which I’m supposed to be standing and looking at someone and it’s a very close up shot, it’s right there, but he’ll still want my ID to be in my pocket, my gun to be in my back, he would want that on me, to be in  that moment, fully ready.

What have you been doing since Monsoon Shootout and going to Cannes?

I’ve been shooting for a film in India.  It’s a comedy, more of a Bollywood kind of musical.  It’s not been released yet, I think it’s releasing in February.

And what’s the name of it?

It’s called Gang of Ghosts.

And who else is in the film?

There are many, many good actors – there’s Anupam Kher, Saurabh Shukla, Mahie Gill, Sharman Joshi.

How long are you in New York?

I’m here ‘til the 9th, to see some friends.  It’s my first time here, that’s why I want to stay longer.