A good director is one who is hardly seen but felt always.

Shankar sure is one. He is, in a sense, the antithesis of his films --- low-key and absolutely down to earth.

Sharing the success of Aparachitudu in Hyderabad, the whiz director was relieved and relaxed that he was able to pull it off in a film touted to be the costliest ever.

Shankar, however, said that he did not know whether it was the costliest ever. "All I want to say is people expect big films from me," he said. He also said that the producer Oscar Ravichandran had full faith in him and that he gave him enough room to do whatever he liked.

The thing about Shankar's films is that despite the mind-boggling graphics and technical wizardry, there will be an insistently underlying social message. And he will also take up issues that we face in our day-to-day life. Like traffic problems. Train travel issues. "These ideas are based on why India is not making rapid strides in growth. I think on these lines and try and build story out of it," Shankar said.

And that in a sense is also the problem for Shankar. People expect a certain kind of film from him. That's the reason why Boys failed. It was so 'un-Shankar' like. "Here people slot you very quickly," he says plaintively.

Shankar has one big dream project in mind. The Robot film that he planned with Kamal has been in cold storage for now. Reason? The Rs. 40 crores budget needed for it is considered too risky.

But taking risks is Shankar's essential character.

And soon, who knows, Robot may become a reality.