Shivajee Chandrabhushan on his glorious win

"I'm given more coverage in Spain than in India"
So, how is life after winning the Indira Gandhi Award for Best First Film of a Director?
I still feel like having started all over again. After receiving 22 international awards, I get my first National Award. Technically, my National Award is the 22nd award for Frozen. Shanker Raman���������������������������s Golden Lotus for cinematography is the 23rd award for the film. On a humorous note, I feel I am following in his footsteps of the director who has had a big influence on me. Here, I���������������������������m referring to Satyajit Ray. After receiving the L������������������gion d���������������������������honneur, people in India realised that it���������������������������s about time to celebrate him. That���������������������������s the fun part of it. Sadly enough, the media here in Mumbai is crying over how the Khans haven���������������������������t won the big awards and how Bollywood has been defeated by makers from the South. What���������������������������s sad is that here I am in Mumbai having one of the three Silver Lotuses and I���������������������������m only covered by regional newspapers. The national media is such that it writes about a director only if his film has a celebrity to say a few words on the film.
Is it frustration or impatience talking?
I���������������������������m written more about in Spain than in India. I���������������������������m better covered there. What can be a bigger stamp than the National Award? If my chance the government decides to send Frozen to the Oscars, I suppose people will then start trying to hunt me down and write about my film.
But there have been instances of directors turning into celebrities once they win a National Award. How long will it take for you to become that?
I don���������������������������t want that. I love to chill out and be able to pass through the immigration without being noticed. But the film suffers because of media neglect. On Monday evening, I kept on surfing channels to watch if something is said about my film. But there was nothing there at all. Only big names were there. It���������������������������s the same people who���������������������������ve been there with me who are congratulating me.
What does Ladakh get in return for your National Award?
The citation for the National Award says: ���������������������������For bringing to life with warmth and vivacity life in those distant, desolate, snow bound heights where existence itself is a full-time challenge���������������������������. That���������������������������s a great way to describe my contribution. I���������������������������m making another film based in Ladakh. A film based on ice hockey, it���������������������������s titled, One More. I think I���������������������������ll have to get funds from abroad for this film.
Do you want stars?
I want the cast to be able to ski on a frozen lake. If a star can do that, I���������������������������ll cast him/her. I���������������������������m on the verge of signing a commercial love story in Mumbai titled Love You Dobara. But my dream project is an Indo-Spanish film that I���������������������������ll start next year. It���������������������������s called The Untold Tale. The film begins in 1956 Madrid and ends in present-day Rajasthan. While the guys are Indian, I want heroines who are from Spain.
Are you casting Penelope Cruz?
It���������������������������ll be great if I can get her. It���������������������������s a film about a grandmother, mother and daughter. The mother of Javier Bardem, who is seeing Penelope, has agreed to do a role. My story has gone to Antonio Banderas��������������������������� company too. If he agrees for co-production, I���������������������������d love him to do one part too. I begin shooting for this film in September 2010 at a budget of 2 million Euros.