Gauri Shinde discusses balancing humour with sensitivity as she directs Karan Johar in a commercial highlighting same-sex love
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; November 11, 2019)

If you've stumbled upon the recent commercial for a soup brand that features Karan Johar, chances are it left you with a smile on your face. The ad, which sees Johar treating a handsome man to soup at 3 am when he turns up at his doorstep, hits the sweet spot. While the film industry is warming up to same-sex love stories, the commercial is being lauded for subtly bringing the dialogue into everyone's living room.

Director Gauri Shinde, who helmed the ad, says the adulation coming her way has been pleasantly surprising. "We wanted it to be light-hearted, which is not a mockery of something that has had a stigma attached to it for so long. We wanted to portray the same-sex love story or coming out of the closet in the most natural yet heartwarming way. We think it is an out-of-the-box idea in the advertising space."

Although he asserts that his place is behind the camera, Johar has always been a natural before it. Quiz Shinde on the experience of directing one of the biggest filmmakers of Bollywood, and she laughs, "It was a delight directing Karan. The way he expresses himself on camera is genuine and instinctive. I asked him to be himself, and that's his best form."

It has been three years since Shinde's last directorial vehicle, Dear Zindagi (2016), which was incidentally co-produced by Johar. Does she plan to return to the big screen anytime soon? "We have a few things in the pipeline. I will make an announcement when the time is right."