The Bhansali of Guzaarish and Black , will make his debut as the co-producer of an unabashedly crowd pleasing potboiler. But he is not defensive.

"I am not apologetic, not embarrassed," he says. "After Saawariya , I retreated into a shell.

With Guzaarish I went through a catharsis. Though it was a film about something as morbid as euthanasia, it was eventually a celebration of life and happiness.

Once I was done with it, I wanted to do something that would appeal to the man on the streets and in the chawls . That is where I grew up loving everything about cinema.

" Bhansali, who believes the fraternity was ungenerous in its appreciation for Hrithik's performance in Guzaarish , says that while there weren't too many people going into the theatres to watch the film, but those who did, appreciated it. It proved to be a much-needed turning point in his professional life.

"I did not want to be the only person in the theatre watching my own films," says Bhansali with surprising candour, adding that he was possessed with the idea of trying out a mass film after watching how an average man in the chawls moved to a Munni Badnaam Hui. "I want people to mouth the dialogues from this film too, sing the songs.

I have grown up watching films in single screens where people would get up and dance in the aisles. With Rowdy Rathore , I want to recreate the same magic," he says.

That is not to say that he is bidding adieu to the kind of cinema he is best known for. "With Ram Leela , the audiences will get to see the Bhansali of Devdas," he quips.

"It will be a blend of the artistic and the commercial." The film starring Kareena Kapoor and Ranveer Singh will go on the floors in August this year.

Talking about the unusual pairing, Bhansali says, "They are both extremely spontaneous actors and are a delight to watch together." Meanwhile, there is also Shirin Farhad , Bhansali's production of his sister Bela Sehgal's witty take on an older Parsi couple's firstbrush with romance.

"It is wonderful to be involved with so many different kinds of visuals. There is room for all kinds of cinema," says Bhansali.

"Why is it that only certain kinds of filmmakers get invited to panels to talk about only their kind of cinema?" Point noted (less)