The 5-minute Interview: Gurinder Chadha, Film producer

'In a truer life I'd have been a pop singer like Lily Allen'

Gurinder Chadha is an award-winning writer, director and producer. Her films include "Bend It Like Beckham" and "Bride and Prejudice". This Christmas Chadha has created a nativity play for Sky Movies' Great Christmas Week

If I weren't talking to you right now I'd be...

Lying on a rug signing "heads, shoulders, knees and toes" to my twins.

A phrase I use far too often...

Can I say something in Bengali? "Aah noi naa ghad." It means "that's more like it".

I wish people would take more notice of...

I wish people would be more tolerant of each other, stop being so quick to judge other people.

The most surprising thing that happened to me was...

Being a film director

A common misperception of me is...

That I'm some kind of big shot.

I am not a politician but...

I would pay more heed to the powers of the internet. When I was younger, if we wanted to play our part we had to march down to Whitechapel but now you can do so much through the internet.

I'm good at...

Talking to anyone, anywhere, any time, any place in any situation.

I'm very bad at...

Time-keeping. I'm terrible, I'm always late for everything.

The ideal night out is...

Going to my Chinese reflexologist, then for a nice meal in Chinatown with my husband, Paul, and after that a movie.

In moments of weakness I...

I eat, like I am right now. Cheese and onion crisps are my weakness. My favourite food is Chinese. I like it far above Indian food. This is why I think I was Chinese in a past life.

You know me as a film director but in a truer life I'd have been ...

A pop singer. I would like to have been a Kate Nash or a Lily Allen, one of those singer/songwriters. I love karoake, I always get up and sing. My favourite song to sing with Paul is Gladys Knight and the Pips' "Midnight Train to Georgia".

The best age to be is...

If I could be corny I would say the best age to be is the age you are now, as long as you are living life to the full.

In a nutshell, my philosophy is this...

Treat people as you would like to be treated yourself.

Ben Naylor