I always like to maintain that I am a writer first and then a director. But unfortunately, I am not known as much as a writer. I am a first-class wri… - Sai Paranjpye

Wit, warmth and wisdom define Sai as a person and her writing is unfailingly pithy, perceptive and pulls no punches. (as a comment about Sai Paranjpye and her English Autobiography - A Patchwork Quilt: A Collage of My Creative Life)

Many filmmakers. In Malayalam, I love the films of Bharathan, Padmarajan and Sathyan Anthikkad, among others. Then, there are films of Balu Mahendra, and of many directors in Tamil. In Bollywood, Mukul Anand is an all-time favourite. I keep watching his films. I love films of Manmohan Desai, Hrishikesh Mukherjee and of course, Sai Paranjpe. Once on Twitter, there was a question – ‘which filmmaker’s universe would you like to live in?’ – for me, it would be Sai Paranjpe’s. (as an answer to who are some of his favourite directors)

I was very fat then, and Alkazi would scold me about my chubbiness. ‘An actor must look trim,’ he would tell me. ‘You will never get good roles if you don’t watch your weight!’ I was least interested in good roles. Writing and directing were my passions. But I did not tell him that. I kept nodding my head and agreed with him. I did not lose any weight, though. (sarcastic remark about her time training at the National School of Drama in Delhi, in the years 1962/63)