She plays a middle-class girl whose life is also challenged by unforeseen events. I was struck by the potential in her after seeing her work in her first film, Saawariya.

Did you have any reservations about casting her?

I wondered if she could justice to the role of a middle-class girl grown up in old Delhi. After all, she is the daughter of a movie star [Anil Kapoor] and she grew up with all the comforts and glamour around her. So I was a bit worried.

We had many meetings, some lasting over four hours, discussing not only her character in the film but the film project itself. Soon I found out that she was not only committed working in this film but also making her role memorable.

What strikes you most about Sonam?

Besides being a first-rate artist, she also reminds me the classic actresses of the 1950s and 1960s, people like Waheeda Rehman. I feel Sonam is a blend of Nargis and Waheeda Rehman, speaking of physical appearances. It is like we have discovered a classic beauty of the 1950s who is also an insightful artist.

This film is set mostly in a particular locality in Delhi. What appeal would it have for someone in, say, Bhubaneswar or Chicago or Hyderabad?

Delhi-6 or the walled city is a world by itself. It represents everything that is India. The stories set in this city are specific to it but they have universal appeal. The search for identity, for instance. We all go through crisis from time to time.