“Films such as Interstellar and Inception are inspired by our sacred texts, the Mahabharata and Ramayana,” said renowned director and writer Amit Rai, who was one of the special guests at the 12th International Film Festival of Shimla, held at the historic Gaiety Theatre.Describing the synopsis of Interstellar, he said that the idea comes from the story of Krishna and Meera, as they both were in different timelines. Connecting Inception with Abhimanyu learning about the Chakravyuh in the womb, he said that the idea for Inception comes from the Mahabharata. “It is very surprising that we know about Christopher Nolan, but no one will talk about Ved Vyas. I can prove that any story which has ever been written or will be written is based on our sacred texts,” he said.Remembering his early struggles, Rai said that he did not have any work for 13 years. “I had made my first movie, Road to Sangam, which was loved by the people. Everyone was appreciating my work, but no one was willing to give me an opportunity. I was offered a movie on Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh for around Rs 2 crore. However, I rejected the offer as I do my work honestly and do not compromise with my ideology.”“When I was offered OMG 2, people advised me not to do it due to its sensitive content. However, when I narrated it to Akshay Kumar, he gave his nod to the movie within five minutes,” he said.Speaking about his upcoming projects, Rai said that he will soon be shooting a film in Shimla. “I have pitched a story based on a teacher named Rana to Sony. Rana was a school teacher of one of my filmmaker friends from Shimla, Ashish R Mohan, who is also a great filmmaker. I have written a story based on that teacher’s life. It is an hour-long episode that I will soon be shooting here,” said Rai.“Though I have visited Shimla four times before, this is the first time that I am coming to attend a film festival. I believe that such festivals are very important for filmmakers as these festivals act like a lab, which gives us inspiration to pursue bigger works. These festivals are very important for new and aspiring filmmakers as they give them a platform to showcase their work, as well as encouragement regarding their work,” he said.Advising young filmmakers and actors, he said that there are no shortcuts and that they should pursue their dreams with full conviction and honesty.