That's Fardeen with his dog, Gunda. This was shot at his place it would be crazy to walk your dog and control him on the street.

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The whole idea was to have a black and white picture against a red backdrop. I explained the look to Fardeen. Shahid Aamir does most of his styling, so Fardeen kept a few options ready. The cap was added later.

Shooting with kids and animals are always difficult. You cannot predict their mood or behaviour. We made Fardeen walk about 40 times to get it right! Everything had to be right -- Gunda's expression, Fardeen's expression, the walk, focus and light.

At one point, Gunda stopped walking. We had to be very patient. We would take chai breaks and chat for a bit and then continue. The whole thing took about two hours.

I didn't take Flash for this because he's very hyper. I cannot control him outdoors. I could not have done this in my studio, because it required natural light. We shot this on Fardeen's terrace. Also, Fardeen would be more comfortable with his own dog.

I've known Fardeen even before he became an actor. We had common friends and would party together. But my rapport with him is more professional than friendly. Like, I can go to Arjun Rampal's house, and hang out there. With Fardeen, it's not so casual.

Fardeen's cool with everything. In my 2003 calendar, half his face was submerged in water. He was in a pool. I told him that he could show more of his face if he wanted to. But he was cool showing only his eyes. The intensity of the picture were his eyes.