Sujoy Ghosh: By the way Kareena Kapoor delivers scenes, you know she is a mom

A still from the series

She has been your classic big-screen movie star, her stardom going hand-in-hand with her acting prowess over the past 22 years. How does one then convince Kareena Kapoor Khan to trade the allure of the big screen for OTT? With a solid script, says Sujoy Ghosh. On Thursday, his directorial venture Jaane Jaan dropped on Netflix, marking Kapoor's foray into digital entertainment. "I didn't have to convince her. Kareena has an uncanny acumen for scripts. When she read Jaane Jaan's script, she knew this is what she wanted to walk in with, as her first digital appearance. I've gone to Kareena with many scripts, but this worked for her," smiles Ghosh.

In the Jaideep Ahlawat and Vijay Varma-led moody thriller, based on Keigo Higashino's popular novel, The Devotion of Suspect X, Kapoor plays a single mother in Kalimpong who becomes a prime suspect in a murder. Ghosh admires how she brought her own interpretation to the role. "Kareena brought a lot of her life experiences to Jaane Jaan - like looking after her children while being a working woman, and her fierce protectiveness towards them. By the way she delivers the scenes, you know she is a mother. This is not to take away from her as an actor. In a sequence, where Vijay tells her he is leaving for Mumbai, the way she looks at him is brilliant. I didn't have to explain much to her about the scene, she just got it."

Sujoy Ghosh

There's something else about her that has left him impressed and intrigued. "I've never seen Kareena mug up her dialogues on the sets. The whole day she'd shoot with me, then go home to be with her family. So, I want to know when she learns her lines," he asks, laughing.

The director's love for mystery thrillers has seen him work with Vidya Balan on the Kahaani franchise. Does he find any similarities between the two actors? "Both are in a league of their own. It's impossible to compare them. [A similarity between them] is that they are so dedicated to their craft. They immerse themselves into every role they play. They treat acting like something holy; they won't take it for granted."

Next, Ghosh is set to helm an action-thriller starring Shah Rukh Khan and his daughter Suhana. While he is tight-lipped about the project, we ask him if he is considering making Kahaani 3. "Not right now, but if I have a good script later, yes. I can make up to Kahaani 10, but I need a good script."