When Prasoon sir [Joshi, co-writer] and team suggested that I helm Manikarnika after the director [Krish] left the project, my initial request was to get another director. They had three names for me to pick from, but somehow, the task on hand was so humungous, nobody would stay. Honestly, they were taken on only for the physical work — the recces, meetings, etc — because I thought I would do the mental work of a director.

But the directors ran away! Since the writers continued to send the material to me, eventually, I had no choice but to [dive] into directing the film. The idea of putting out a film that didn't live up to its name scared me. The reworking [of the period drama] was crucial to how it eventually looked on screen. After the studio saw the [initial cut by Krish], there was a good chance that this movie wouldn't have seen the light of day. There were discrepancies in the plotline.