My wife is my biggest inspiration: M Night Shyamalan

In this age of self-patting where B-Town stars tom-tom even their smallest connect with Hollywood, M Night Shyamalan comes across as a whiff of fresh air. 

With some of the Hollywood grossers like TheSixth Sense (which won six Oscar nominations), The Happening and The Last Airbender to his credit, the man is serenaded as a genius director-screenwriter in the West. But despite all these achievements, India-born filmmaker remains deeply rooted in reality and ready to throw his might behind various social causes. While in India recently, he got candid about charity, spirituality and more with BT... 

Celebrity quotient With so many celebrities getting involved in philanthropy, does it really make a difference to a cause? "My wife Bhavna and I prefer to keep a low-profile while doing philanthropic work. Being popular helps in doing the work in a better way, but I really think that 'the celebrity factor' should be kept to the minimal," says he. 

Ask Bhavna if there's any other cause, which is on the couple's mind, and she replies, "The problem of sex trafficking is really something which will be our focus from now on." 

Family guy Shyamalan has always maintained that his movies are spiritual and emotional rather than being of the horror genre - a tag, generally given to his films. So, would he define himself as a spiritual man? He is quick to reply, "I'm more of a family man and I love spending time with my wife and two daughters. My wife is my biggest source of inspiration!" 

Next big thing! In his upcoming directorial venture After Earth, he's working with the father-son duo of Will and Jaden Smith. Ask him if Smith Junior is a chip off the old block, and Shyamalan replies, "Yeah, Jaden is a wonderful kid. In fact, I've to get back to work with him on Monday itself!" 

Indian connect! These days, many Western films are being shot in India. Does it mean that the Western interest in India as a shooting location has grown all of a sudden? "It's not at all a sudden happening! The interest in our nation has always been there because India basically is a beautiful place to shoot a film," he says.