There’s a bit of me in all my characters, says Nitya Mehra

She assisted Mira Nair in The Namesake and Ang Lee in Life Of Pi. And now Delhi girl Nitya Mehra is all set to unleash her first independent directorial venture, Baar Baar Dekho. And no, it is not about time travel.

Says Nitya with a laugh, “I’ve been getting a lot of that response ever since the trailer came out. But no, the film is not about time travel, not in the sense that we mean it to be when some weird scientist puts the characters into a machine that takes them back in time. My film is about regret and making up for lost time.”

As of now Nitya is pleased that the trailer has whetted people’s curiosity. “When I decided to turn director, I wanted to make sure I didn’t fall into the trap of doing the usual boy-meets-girl story. I wanted to do a love story that would move the audience and make them think.”

Nitya cast Sidharth Malhotra first. “I wanted to cast my male protagonist first. I chose Sidharth because of the warmth and mystery in his eyes. I had seen him in Hansee Toh Phansee. There is a thaihrav in his personality and an earnestness.”

The director had only seen two of Katrina’s films — Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and Raajneeti. But I liked her performance in both. There is a mystery about her. No one really knows the real Katrina. I wanted to tap that.”

Does she identify with the characters she has created “I think there is a bit of me in all my characters in the film.”

Nitya’s early days in Delhi were far removed from the “But I always wanted to direct films. So I headed to Mumbai. Unfortunately a family crisis beckoned me back to my home in Delhi. And there I remained for the next few years. Luckily, for me a lot of international films are shot in Delhi, so I got a chance to work with the likes of Mira Nair and Ang Lee.”

Nitya has also worked with Anil Kapoor in five episodes of the series 24 “He is so inspiring. So is Farhan Akhtar with whom I’ve had the chance to work closely.”