'I will never repeat my old mistakes. I will make fresh ones'

Saeed Mirza's advice for young people.

Saaed Mirza -- director of cult classics like Arvind Desai Ki Ajeeb Dastaan, Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyon Aata Hai, Salim Langda Pe Mat Ro -- tells Rediff.com's Syed Firdaus Ashraf what young people need to do. Photograph: Hitesh Harisinghani/Rediff.com

What will be your advice to young film-makers?

I am not interested in giving advice. I am not a guru.

I have got one quotable quote: 'I will never repeat my old mistakes. I will make fresh ones.'

Make films with passion and integrity.

Any career advice for youngsters?

Young people dream to become like Warren Buffet or Bill Gates or Mukesh Ambani. What a waste of time!

Are these dreams? You have to create something.

Everyone is trying to make money.

The thing is, you must have the passion to create something.

If you get money, it's good. If not, theek hai, create karna hai.

But money is important.

Of course, it is important.

When a liftman, waiter or rickshawallah wants to make money, there is no doubt that they must.

I am talking about the upper middle class. They have a choice to become like Bill Gates, P Sainath or Noam Chomsky.

What about the struggles people face in Mumbai, when they come to work in the film industry?

It is a tough and ruthless city, but it also compensates.

Mahesh Bhatt once told me that Shah Rukh Khan kills 10,000 dreams as everyone comes to Mumbai to become like him and ends up nowhere.

That is true because you want to become like Shah Rukh Khan. And that is a problem.

But many people come to Mumbai for work because they do not have work back home.

They want work and dignity in life.