Had a chance to work with Italian filmmaking legend Federico Fellini, but turned it down as he didn't speak Italian and was unwilling to invest time in learning it
Worked in Bengali cinema as an assistant to Satyajit Ray before moving to the Bollywood industry
Made his debut on the big screen in Pushpaka Vimana (1987)
Cast his old friend Amitabh Bachchan in four of his films, whom he first met in 1968