WILL ROCKY AUR RANI KII PREM KAHAANI EMERGE AS A HUGE HIT?

The month of July was mostly dominated by Hollywood films. Satyaprem Ki Katha, which was released on June 29, was the last major release from Bollywood. And now, the lull will end with the release of Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. The film releases tomorrow, July 28, and there’s considerable excitement for the film due to various reasons.

To begin with, it is directed by Karan Johar. This is his seventh directorial venture and coincidentally, it’s releasing in the year when he completes 25 years as a director. It has an ensemble cast, comprising Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Dharmendra, Jaya Bachchan and Shabana Azmi. The film’s teaser was cut solely on the background score and the song ‘Tum Kya Mile’. The song became a rage from the teaser itself. The makers then released the song after which the trailer was unveiled. The trailer gave a fair idea about the film’s plot. What is appealing is also that the film looks like a clean family entertainer and is mounted on a huge scale. Hence, it can be an ideal flick to be watched in cinemas.

However, the film has faced challenges. Except for ‘Tum Kya Mile’, none of the songs have worked as intended. Even with ‘Tum Kya Mile’, a few people had reservations about the not-so-electrifying chemistry between Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt. The advance booking hasn’t been upto the mark and this is chiefly because the music score is not enticing enough for the audience. Many are opting for a wait-and-watch strategy.

There have been reports of block bookings happening for Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. It has raised eyebrows but these bookings will help the film get a double-digit opening. Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani is expected to open at Rs. 11-12 crores. It’ll release in more than 3000 screens. On the other hand, Karan Johar’s last directorial Ae Dil Hai Mushkil opened at 2850 screens, clashed with Shivaay and came on the dry pre-Diwali Friday. Yet, it had an opening of Rs. 13.04 crores. It remains to be seen if Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani manages to open better than the Ranbir Kapoor-Anushka Sharma starrer. From the bookings, it seems doubtful. But if word of mouth is positive and it spreads faster, the footfalls can increase by tomorrow evening. Also, if the reports are encouraging, it can see a huge jump on Saturday.

If all goes well, the weekend earnings of Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani can be around Rs. 55-60 crores. It has no competition until August 11. Hence, it has the potential to collect in the range of Rs. 75-90 crores in the first week. It is in the same zone as the romcom, Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar, which was released earlier this year and starred Ranbir Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor. It had lifetime earnings of Rs. 128.12 crores. Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani should target a lifetime that should be better than that of this romcom.

It was on July 23 last month that I read a report in Mid-Day which caught my attention. It mentioned that Zee5 is all set to release as many as 29 Pakistani shows on its OTT platform! It also led to the relaunch of the Zindagi channel for the Indian viewers.

This development was something that obviously shocked me. After all, the Bollywood film industry was forced to shun all its association with Pakistani actors after the Uri attack of September 2016. The episode happened 40 days before the release of Karan Johar’s film Ae Dil Hai Mushkil was to release. As luck would have it, it starred Pakistani actor Fawad Khan in a supporting role. Post the attack, a section of politicians demanded that Bollywood should boycott Pakistani artistes. Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) threatened Karan that they won’t let his film release unless he removes Fawad’s character from the film overnight. That, obviously, was not possible. Soon, more people joined in this ‘movement’. The ruling party at the Centre, BJP, did nothing to stop MNS from threatening Karan Johar, though KJo resides in a state which was also ruled by them (Maharashtra). The only thing they could do is ‘broker’ peace between the two parties so that Ae Dil Hai Mushkil could release without any problem. The film saw a peaceful light of the day but Karan was mercilessly trolled by self-declared nationalists for his ‘crime’.

The repercussion of this controversy was that Pakistani actors got banned from working in Bollywood. For some weird reason, Bollywood was still ‘allowed’ to have singers from the neighbouring country. Less than a year after the Uri attack, the whole nation got charmed by the recreated version of 'Mere Rashke Qamar' from Baadshaho, sung by Pakistani singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. A few months later, music lovers fell in love with 'Dil Diya Gallan' crooned beautifully by Atif Aslam, in Tiger Zinda Hai. It’s only after the unfortunate Pulwama attack of February 2019 that self-declared patriots realized that we need to ban singers as well for revenge. Since then, even the singers from across the border have stopped working in Bollywood.

Hence, the decision of Zee5 to launch Pakistani shows was astonishing. I read the article and was sure that soon, there would be a backlash. But nothing of that sort happened. Then on July 31, Zee5 dropped the trailer of its first Pakistani web series, called Churails. Directed by Cake director Asim Abbasi, it stars Sarwat Gillani, Mehar Bano, Nimra Bucha, and Yasra Rizvi. The show revolves around the four women who run a detective agency that exposes the cheating husbands in Karachi.

I saw the trailer and was impressed by its quirkiness and bold quotient. I was scared to scroll down and check the comments as I expected tons and tons of hate, which is the norm nowadays. Nowadays, people are already presumed to be very angry with Indian-based celebrities like Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan, Mahesh Bhatt and of course, Karan Johar. I can’t imagine the volley of abuses they must have spewed on the actors and team of Churails; after all, they belong to ‘enemy country’.

I gathered courage and finally began to see the comments. And I couldn’t believe my eyes. The discussions and posts made by people seemed very cordial and respectful! Was I dreaming? People can be seen appreciating Pakistani makers and writers for making such path-breaking stuff and criticized Bollywood for not learning from them! I kept scrolling and kept waiting for that one revolutionary person who would have written ‘PKMKB’ or ‘Boycott Churails’ type of comments. There was none.




I kept a tab on Twitter for a few days, next. I was sure #BoycottChurails, #UnsubscribeZee5 or #UninstallZee5 would soon start trending. That didn’t happen, either!

Of course, it didn’t take me much time to understand why the self-appointed deshbhakts have gone into hibernation this time. First, let us understand how these boycott protests actually work, especially in context of Bollywood and web series. There’s a group of influential people with millions of followers, all staunch supporters of right-wing ideology. They have their masters, usually connected with political parties, who instruct them to start these boycott campaigns. In most cases, a time is decided and the hashtag is given in advance in a Google document. Then, at the designated time, millions of followers start using the hashtag in question and hence it started trending. Now, the regular netizens notice the ‘trend’. They feel a spontaneous movement has begun against Bollywood or some actor from the film industry. These people don’t want to feel left out or sometimes they do have a soft hatred towards the industry. Hence, they too start using the hashtag and hence the ‘movement’ grows further.

The next step is to target more gullible people on WhatsApp. As is common knowledge, the messaging app is where most rumours and misinformation gets generated and spread. The same group of people who started the ‘movement’ will create several messages which are provocative and which showcase members of Bollywood fraternity as sell-outs and traitors. They’ll push you to forward the said message in ‘national interest’. There are sensible people who rubbish these forwards and even inform the sender about the lies in the message. But most of the times, people happily share. The ‘movement’ further grows! The ‘movement’ would not have begun had these professional and organized trolls not even started the ‘boycott’ mania in the first place. And most of these movements don’t really make a difference to the lives of the people. For instance, was your life seriously affected because of Pakistani artistes in Bollywood? But you were made to believe otherwise. In short, you became a puppet in the hands of these people and they shamelessly used you for your selfish agenda.

The question that has surely risen in your mind is – why isn’t the right-wing trolls boycotting Zee5 then? The answer can be found in the first 3 letters of the name of the OTT platform – Zee! Zee5 is a part of the sprawling Zee Group, founded and run by a man called Subhash Chandra. He’s known to be a staunch supporter of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and is even quite close to him. His biography was launched by the Prime Minister himself, that too from his residence, in a high-profile event. One of the channels of the Zee group is the Hindi news channel Zee News. It openly flaunts its love for the ruling government and has time and again spread lies to favour BJP and show its opponents in negative light. And believe it or not, Subhash Chandra had stopped airing Pakistani shows on Zindagi channel less than a week after the Uri attack, in national interest of course!

Hence, it’s no surprise that Churails, presented by Zee5, has been spared the abuses and boycott campaigns by the ruling party. After all, it’s the ruling party that controls most of these right-wing influencers. And since the party command didn’t instruct the influencers, these professional trolls chose to look the other way when Churails trailers was dropped and even the series got released, on August 11. In turn, you, too, are okay with the development!

I know many of you still can’t believe what I have written here and have loads of questions for me as a counter. Let me pick few ones:

“I was not aware that Churails has released on Zee5. Or else, I would have surely protested”
Yes, it’s a possibility that you didn’t realize that the said show has dropped online. But many did. As of August 15 2:15 PM IST, it’s trailer on YouTube has got nearly 42 lakh views. Moreover, it has not released on any unknown platform but on Zee5, which is one of the biggest streaming portals in India. On YouTube, it has 3.86 million subscribers. It has lakhs of followers on social media websites as well. Churails was well promoted across these websites. Lakhs of people knew about its existence, including the professional trolls and their political masters.

“There’s not much of anger against Pakistan anymore. With time, the anger has subsided”
If only that was true! In June this year, T-Series faced severe backlash (again it was generated) for uploading a song sung by Pakistani singer Atif Aslam. The ‘criticism’ was so immense that T-Series had to remove the track and even tender an apology. I refuse to believe that the ‘anger’ against Pakistan was present till June 2020 but vanished within a month’s time, when the trailer of Churails released. This also makes it clear that if Karan Johar or Bhushan Kumar (of T-Series) or Aditya Chopra had backed Chudails, it would have also become a target of the trolls.

Try as much as you want. Put up as many excuses as you can think of. But the fact remains – you have been played all along all this while by the politicians. They used you. You let them. You didn’t realize they are using you. Instead, you felt patriotic. You considered yourself a ‘warrior’ who fulfilled his duty towards the country by insulting Bollywood personalities. Today, when an Indian channel has released a Pakistani show, the same netas have changed the rules. That’s because the channel owner is their ally and hence, he is immune. And yet, you are silent. You don’t feel cheated or used. Or maybe you do but you won’t accept. Or else, you might argue, “But what can I do?” The saddest part is that if tomorrow, for some reason, a boycott campaign starts against Churails, you’ll happily join in and make it clear that you are at their service for their selfish needs at their beck and call!

Is that what you really are, dear countryman? We have the largest workforce and we are easily amongst the world’s most smartest, creative and hard-working people. The country’s situation is concerning and there’s so much we can all do together. But instead, the government diverts our attention using silly hashtags. It makes villain out of people who are merely doing their job and working day and night to entertain us. Are we still going to give in to their wishes? Or are we going to speak and reject such useless movements that do nothing to improve our lives?

I have often revisited Churails trailer just to see the comments and to see the sanity out there, which has been missing on the internet since a long time. It feels so good to read people’s thoughts at a place where the government hasn’t jumped in to divide-and-rule. But on second thoughts, that’s because the government has chosen to step away to support its founder. I am waiting for the day when the people of this country make it loud and clear that government’s interference and stupid strategies won’t work and they need to focus on the real issues at hand. That’ll be the day when art will totally flourish and where boycott and bans will be relics of the past. This Independence Day, let’s hope that day comes soon!

P.S.: This post is not against Churails or Zee5 and doesn’t support any boycott campaign against them at all. I appreciate Zee5 for taking this initiative. I haven’t seen Churails but I shall watch soon and also looking forward to their other shows. Shailja Kejriwal, chief creative officer — special projects, Zee Entertainment, has hinted that Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan might also be seen in one of their upcoming shows. Bring it on!

Karan Johar's debut and one of India's most enjoyed love stories turned 21 last week, catching social media's fancy. About time, we thought, we ask the maker of a film that gave Bollywood its biggest director, for a sincere post-mortem
Abhishek Mande Bhot (MID-DAY; October 27, 2019)

In a world of what-ifs, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai would've never got made. Or if it had, it wouldn't have been made under Dharma Productions. While the Yash Johar-run firm had some interesting movies under its belt - Dostana (1980), Gumrah (1993) and the National Award-winning box office disaster Agneepath (1990) - it remained a mid-list production firm that, safe to say, wouldn't have survived post-liberalisation India.

The debut vehicle of Johar's son, Karan, changed that. For the first time ever, Dharma had landed itself a blockbuster. Kuch Kuch Hota Hai released in 1998, on the same day as Bade Miyan Chote Miyan. Twenty one years later, this last week, KKHH trended online and unleashed a wave of nostalgia, while the Amitabh Bachchan-Govinda starrer was forgotten.

The '90s were defined by a handful of movies - the machismo of Ghayal and Agneepath (1990) made way for the importance of family values in a fast-changing India with Hum Aapke Hain Koun (1994) and Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (1995) before, finally, introducing us to Rahul Khanna who wore snug tees, chains that spelt c-o-o-l and had girls drool. How that was possible is a question we can only ask in hindsight.

Karan Johar is the first to admit it. "Rahul doesn't stand for very much. He's a deeply confused character, doesn't know what he wants and, really, didn't do a lot much in the movie. Whatever happened to him was because there were people pushing him - his dead wife's spirit, his eight-year-old daughter, and Anjali herself. What made him endearing was his charm, his large heart and Shah Rukh's personal charisma."

Johar confesses that the ethics and politics of the movie were all wrong. "There was no logic or backstory to the characters. You don't know what Shah Rukh, or anyone else, does for a living in the movie. And the eight letters - one for each birthday - made no sense, either."

He was 24 when he wrote these characters. He hadn't studied film and was driven by a passion for larger-than-life cinema that bordered on melodrama. "Growing up, I saw my mother play Hindi film songs - everything from Rafi and Kishore Kumar to Geeta and Guru Dutt. KKHH was a homage to all the movies I grew up watching - everything from Kabhi Kabhie and Bobby to Silsila."

His influences have since changed. If Bollywood was his primary point of reference in adolescence, now he makes a conscious effort to engage with regional cinema as well as international digital shows. After this interview, he is set to meet Tamil filmmaker Vetri Maaran whose films Asuran and Vada Chennai are among those he recommends.

"I'm also a fan of Atlee's [Kumar, Tamil director] work; I loved Bigil," he says, "And I watch everything in the Telugu commercial space." Lately, Johar has also been watching The Family Man, The Loudest Voice and Fleabag.

"But my sensibilities changed because I surrounded myself with newer and younger energies. I became more democratic and began practising an open-door policy; that helped me understand where I was going wrong and act on it," he says, "I also became more comfortable in my own skin and stopped comparing myself and my work with others." Johar says he could see these influences working on him as early as the time he was making Kal Ho Naa Ho.

"Saif [Ali Khan] was apprehensive of playing Rohit Patel. I had to tell him that it wasn't a sign of weakness but rather quite the opposite. I explained that a man who can stand by someone he loves while knowing she loves someone else is a strong person. It's not what makes him weak but human." The role would put Saif's career on the fast track, making him a bankable star. Incidentally, Saif had turned down a similar role just a few years earlier—Aman Mehra in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.

The conscious effort to stay relevant also helped Johar create stronger women in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, his last major feature film that critics count as among his 'most grown-up movie yet'. Here, Anushka Sharma's Alizeh continues to rebuff Ranbir Kapoor's advances till the very end. If KKHH's whiny Rahul earned sympathy, Ae Dil's Ayan (Kapoor) earned a fair amount of criticism. "I didn't know how else to end the movie," Johar says, "I wanted the film to have that arc." At the end, it was Alizeh to whom your heart went out. In some ways, the two movies bookend Johar's directorial career so far.

Johar says today's Rahul would be someone who's more assured and strong. "I'd give him a spine and more EQ [emotional quotient]. I'd also introduce more confrontation. Rahul, today, would be able to have an open conversation with Anjali. He'll know that she likes him and he'd address that with her. If Tina were to die, he'd come to terms with his feelings for Anjali and go back to her, not sit moping."

There's a scene in KKHH where Rahul learns of Anjali's impending wedding and taunts her. She, in turn, refuses to confront him and walks away. "That's not how I'd written the scene. In my original draft, Anjali tears into Rahul and calls him out. She says he doesn't know how to stand up for himself. I threw out the scene because I thought it would cause a disservice to my leading man. Today, I'd keep it. Because now I understand, it's what would make them more human. More real."

Hiren Kotwani (DNA; June 10, 2019)

Over two years since the Diwali 2016 box-office battle with their respective films, Shivaay and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, Ajay Devgn and Karan Johar called it a truce last November. Post that, Ajay shot with Kajol for Koffee With Karan and even won a luxury car for the Answer of the Season. Since then, the equation between the two has become warm and friendly.

Ajay, who confessed to having a ‘fear of going out’ and socialising, made an exception when he attended the Simmba success party hosted by Karan, who was also one of the producers of the blockbuster along with director Rohit Shetty.

Now, if Karan wants to convey anything to Ajay, he messages and calls him directly.

“That’s a major change from the time when Kajol, one of his best friends and the ‘darling of his life’, would play messenger, conveying KJo’s message to her hubby,” says a source, adding, “Now, Ajay responds to Karan like a friend and they share a pleasant equation.”

When Ajay turned 50 on April 2 this year, Karan not only wished him a ‘Very Happy Birthday’ but also praised the trailer of De De Pyaar De, which the actor launched on the same day. On his part, Ajay thanked KJo for his wishes and appreciation of the trailer.

Earlier last month, Karan, Rohit and Akshay Kumar marked the starting of their new collaboration, Sooryavanshi, by sharing a picture that also had Singham (Ajay) and Simmba (Ranveer Singh) joining the three producers.

When Veeru Devgn passed away on May 27, Karan, who was out of the country, reportedly called on Ajay and Kajol to share their grief. And post his return to the city the following day, he made it a point to visit the Devgan residence and offer condolences to his friends. Now it’s safe to say that all is indeed well between both the filmmakers.

Hiren Kotwani (DNA; November 2, 2018)

It’s often said that the festive season is a good time to let bygones be bygones. Two years ago, Ajay Devgn and Karan Johar were at loggerheads when their respective films — Shivaay and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil — vied for the big box-office pie. Well, the bad blood is a thing of the past as the duo has chosen to bury the proverbial hatchet and warm up towards each other again.

While their movies’ clash also saw the souring of friendship between KJo and Kajol, it was heartwarming when the filmmaker and the actress became buddies again last year. Apparently, when the truce took place at the Devgns’ residence, the actor-filmmaker wasn’t around. Nonetheless, after Kajol and KJo thrashed out their differences, we were curious to see how the equation between Karan and Ajay would change. And with the festive spirit, it’s good to see that the two have decided to put the past behind them. We hear they smoked the peace pipe at Yash Raj Studios a few weeks ago.

It’s not as if they never had a good equation before. Karan had produced Kaal (2005) with Ajay playing a pivotal role in the horror drama. Now with their newfound bonding, there are chances that they might collaborate again. After all, most associations start with a koffee, no?

Reza Noorani (BOMBAY TIMES; July 21, 2018)

From being a contestant on the dance reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa where he was judged by Madhuri Dixit, to judging Dance Deewane alongside the Dhak Dhak girl four years later, choreographer Tushar Kalia has come a long way. Ask him about his journey from a contestant to a judge, and he beams, “It was an unbelievable moment for me. I was extremely nervous when I met Madhuri during the shoot of the promos of Dance Deewane. I was constantly reminded about the time when I was on the other side of the panel four years ago, but she made me comfortable.”

On her part, Madhuri Dixit says, “Tushar has a great career ahead of him. He is a very talented choreographer and a good dancer. He is doing a wonderful job and I wish him all the best for his upcoming endeavours. Sharing screen space with him on the show has been fun.” Director Shashak Khaitan, who has worked with Tushar in Dhadak, says, “He is gifted. On the set of the reality show, he has mostly been silent, but at the same time, focused on doing his job as a judge. Over time, I have seen him getting chattier and opening up with people around him. He has really grown as a person. He is not just talented, but also a great human being.”

Hailing from Delhi, Tushar trained for 12 years in various dance forms, including Mayurbhanj Chhau, Kalaripayattu and contemporary dance. Ever since he gained popularity with reality shows, the artiste has continued to grow professionally. Karan Johar gave him his first big Bollywood break as a choreographer in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016). Since then, Tushar has choreographed for films like Ok Jaanu (2017), Half Girlfriend (2017), Qarib Qarib Singlle (2017), Hate Story 4 (2018) and a song in the recently-released Dhadak. Currently choreographing a big-ticket project that stars Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff and Rani Mukerji, Tushar is also continuing his stint as a judge on Dance Deewane.

While he has established himself as a choreographer, his eyes are set on directing a film eventually. He feels that direction and choreography are similar. He shares, “When we choreograph a song, we get to know how to play with the characters, the camera angles and how to extract emotions from the artistes, which is the most important thing.”

He cites the song Channa Mereya from Ae Dil Hai Mushkil as an example and explains, “In the song, we only had a basic hook step. But the character goes through a journey, so you have to move the story along and explore the emotional graph of the characters. That way, I am not just giving them steps, but actually directing the song. Dance sequences are easy because you know where to give the cuts. Emotional scenes are not, but I enjoy the challenge. So, I feel that directing is the next logical step for choreographers.”

Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; February 15, 2018)

Sridevi was known as much for her graceful dance moves as for her acting chops. And looks like it holds just as true with her daughter Janhvi Kapoor. The youngster, who is currently filming her debut film Dhadak opposite Ishaan Khatter, recently wrapped up the shoot of a special dance number and has wowed everyone on the sets with her moves. Tushar Kalia, who choreographed the song, says, “I have shot two commercials with Sridevi ma’am and now Karan sir [Karan Johar] gave me the opportunity to choreograph a song with Janhvi. Being Sridevi ma’am’s daughter, she has dance in her genes. But at the same time, she brings her own style and attitude, too.”

He is quick to add how many in the unit mention that Kapoor is “a spitting image of Sridevi ma’am.” Considering Kapoor’s foray into Bollywood is much awaited, Kalia admits there is tremendous pressure on the film’s team. “This is a big debut, so there is the responsibility of presenting her in a certain way. But Janhvi is a confident girl,” he says.

Having worked in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016) previously, he is grateful to mentor Karan Johar for roping him in for Dhadak as well. Recollecting his first day on the set of Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, Kalia says, “Ranbir [Kapoor] told me that he was looking forward to work with me. That gave me confidence.”

Nayandeep Rakshit (DNA; February 12, 2018)

It’s hard to ignore Karan Johar. When the filmmaker is not directing movies, he is producing films across various genres, judging a talent show on television, and doling out love advice on the radio. As he manages to sneak out some time from his frenetic schedule, we catch up with him at his plush office. Over the next half hour, Karan discusses how his definition of love has evolved in his films, breaking stereotypes on celluloid and making peace with people not taking him seriously anymore. Read on...

Very few filmmakers like Yash Chopra had their own language of love. You make love stories a certain way. Did you take after him?
I’m not too sure whether I have ever made a film with a certain thought. Eventually, the movies that you write are a reflection of your own emotions, thoughts and ideologies — whether in love or in any other aspect of life. When I penned Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, which was my directorial debut, it was more of an innocent take on a commercial cinema. I was adding all the elements — be it songs, comedy, emotions, manipulations as well as the scale and drama. At the same time, I was trying to be clever and saying things that I felt strongly about at that time, as an innocent bystander at 24. So, I was balancing the mainstream elements of films with my aesthetics and feelings. I believed in things like, ‘Ki hum ek baar jeete hain, ek hi baar marte hain aur pyaar ek hi baar hota hai, shaadi bhi ek hi baar hoti hai.’ Though within the movie, it’s contradictory (smiles). But it was just what I thought. The next story that I wrote was Kal Ho Naa Ho, but it was more about love, loss and living your life to the fullest. The third one was Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (ADHM) which was again a one-sided love story. It’s about what everyone has been through in life. Even I have faced these bouts of unrequited love. I felt it was a relatable and heartfelt film as nobody had taken it as a topic right through. I don’t know if I’m trying to change the language of love but my cinema has certainly evolved as per my life.

Even the definition of love has changed over the years, vis-a-vis your movies...
(Cuts in) So, from innocence, it has gone into a proper evolution to cynical, which is Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (KANK) and now, it’s into like abandon.

Is it because your perspective on love, too, has changed over the years?
Yes, it has. And it will always reflect in my films. I went through deep innocence to ‘yaar, nahin hone wala kuch’ to cynicism. Then, it was ‘So what if I didn’t get my love? Let me celebrate the feeling I have,’ which is what ADHM was about.

Talking about KANK, it was a bold move on your part. Do you think it was way ahead of its times?
I don’t agree that films are way ahead of their times. They are just reflections of a filmmaker’s soul at that moment. Today, I don’t feel like I would have wanted to make it. I made it then and I was happy. Yes, people had diverse opinions on the films but who knows, maybe even today people won’t accept a movie like that. After all, it’s not that moralities have changed, just the time has.

Would you attempt at making something like that again given that the audience is accepting different films today?
Is it? Really? (Smiles) I don’t think so. I think we are still very deep-rooted and judgmental about most things. Don’t go by what you read on Twitter or what’s posted on social media about evolution and progression. Even today, we are an exceptionally traditional country and brush emotions under the carpet. We are rather hypocritical by nature when it comes to admitting our flaws. It also comes to a stereotypical version of a perfect household, no matter what the chinks in our armour or grey areas in our life are. I don’t think we’re still ready to accept infidelity, homosexuality, or even anything which we immediately get judgmental about.

The way homosexual characters have been portrayed in your films recently, like Kapoor & Sons (K&S) and Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat, they aren’t caricatures anymore...
I think it’s an extremely bold move by our filmmakers to put it out there. I’m proud of Kapoor & Sons and how Shakun Batra handled the entire story. I think it was told beautifully. But anything in your face, which is extreme like I mentioned, is going to meet with a storm in our enormous teacup. Everyone’s running afraid of putting things out there. Because then they become ‘less commercial’. K&S was also understated for a reason because we were afraid that if it’s too in your face, then it would bother an audience, which I find, is quite unfortunate. I feel as a filmmaker, we must tell stories with abandon. It was liberating for me to direct the first Bombay Talkies short because I spoke about repression in a marriage and homosexuality.

Sometimes, you succumb to societal pressures, get married and end up ruining lives. It was an important story to address. Like the second omnibus film, which I’m making for Ronnie Screwvala, is called Love and Lust. Again for that, a bunch of filmmakers are helming different films on diverse issues. It’s liberating to make such movies in that format. But will one make a multi-star cast big-length feature film on any of these topics? I’m not sure if anybody is interested in it.

So many actors turned down Fawad Khan’s role in K&S. Do you believe it has to do with image?
Yes, I had offered Fawad’s part to six different actors and no one did it. No matter what reasons they gave, I felt they were afraid of playing a homosexual man on screen. Having said that, they had a reason and I didn’t judge them for it.

When an actor refuses a film, do you take it to heart?
No, because I think an actor is a creative entity. Whenever you go onto a film set, you need to have complete love for what you’re about to do. So, if you’re going to succumb to a film because of all the external pressure or strategies, it’s going to affect your performance. I’ve approached many actors a couple of times who have refused, but I would still go back to them if I feel the need. I never take it personally because it’s professional.

But today, you have created a brand of your own and everyone wants to work with you. What’s your first reaction when they decline your offer?
It’s disappointment but never anger. I never hold it against anybody. I think most lead actors in the country have said no to me at some point of time, but eventually, I’ve worked with all of them. When they refused a role, they just didn’t connect to the material at that point.

Everyone expects a certain kind of entertainment from you and your films. Does it bother you?
Absolutely! I think I’m a victim of perception and I pay the price for it as well. It’s unfortunate that just because I’m in your living space on a daily basis, I’m not taken as seriously as I should be and the fault is mine. I’m so accessible, affable and amiable that everybody thinks they can take me for granted — say and do what they want and I’m supposed to take it rightly because I’m this jolly fellow who is happily around. So what should I do? Distance myself from everyone, get stuck up in a room and pretend to be arrogant in order to be taken seriously? I can’t do that because that’s not who I am.

I don’t carry the Karan Johar tag with me anywhere I go. Because it’s not who I was raised to be. I was brought up to be someone who would be loving, accepting, affable and respectful of the environment. I cannot be this uppity filmmaker who just sits on his laurels. If I’m at 300 events in a year and on television, it’s because I like it.

Today, I judge a talent show, I host a talk show and give love advice on a radio show. I don’t mind it. So, are you going to take me less seriously as a filmmaker because I do all this? Then, that’s your problem. Am I going to get upset about it? I used to but now, I take it with a pinch of salt. I don’t get taken as seriously as Sanjay Leela Bhansali or Rajkumar Hirani because they’re intense filmmakers who just do their work and nothing else.

Is it also more about being too honest and unabashed?
No, I don’t think it’s about honesty. It’s about perception and I can play act perception. All I need to do is stop going out of my house for a year, living in my office, screaming about five times a month, going off social media and giving intense close-ups when the paparazzi arrives to click pictures of me in a driving car. Then, I’ll be taken seriously. But if I wear my Gucci jumpers, high heel shiny shoes, and I’m grabbing headlines on Twitter or on the newspaper every day, how will you take me seriously? I’m all over the place and don’t blame anyone for that.

Perhaps, sometimes I don’t take myself so seriously. But at some point, it pinches. I’m like, ‘S**t ya, I have done this. So, give me credit for it.’ But I won’t get it because my last name is Johar!

The Hindi remake of Sairat has added a racy track which was picturised on Boney Kapoor and Sridevi’s daughter recently
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 6, 2018)

While all the four chartbusters in Nagraj Manjule’s Marathi superhit, Sairat — “Yad Lagla”, “Zhingaat”, “Atach Baya Ka Bavarla” and the title track “Sairat Zhala Ji” — were picturised on its leads, Rinku Rajguru and Akash Thosar, Karan Johar’s Hindi remake Dhadak has added a racy dance number to the film’s soundtrack, featuring only Janhvi, which was shot recently. It is set in Rajasthan and Sridevi and Boney Kapoor’s 21-year-old daughter rehearsed for it without any breaks for two days straight with choreographer Tushar Kalia before filming it recently in Mumbai over a 24-hour schedule.

“The song which focuses only on Janhvi does not have a name yet nor has it been recorded. We worked with the scratch, the singer will be finalised shortly. Since it’s a new addition, I had no reference point from the original. Fortunately Janhvi’s an extremely confident girl and didn’t say 'no' to any of the difficult steps,” informs Tushar, adding that the actress insisted on completing rehearsals in one stretch and he had to actually request her to take a break.

In the past, Tushar has choreographed for Sridevi in a commercial. He points out that the veteran actress is a trained classical dancer and though Janhvi isn’t a professional, she’s very big on prep and has inherited her mother’s talent while having her own style. The choreographer draws parallels between the Dhadak set and Karan Johar’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, featuring Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma and Aishwarya Rai, on which he got his first break. Tushar was a finalist on Jhalak Dikhla Jaa and the stage director on India’s Got Talent, two shows which Karan judges.

“KJo is my mentor, I still consult him on everything. He helps me with the choreography. Many of the steps in the Ae Dil Hai Mushkil title song were Karan’s original moves. He was dancing through the schedule. The Dhadak set was no different. Like Karan, Shashank Khaitan too is very knowledgeable about dance,” he applauds.

Lasyapriya Sundaram (BOMBAY TIMES; November 15, 2017)

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s upcoming period film Padmavati has been under fire since January this year. First, the filmmaker was attacked when he was shooting on location in Jaipur and then, the film’s set and costumes were ransacked in Kolhapur. That’s not all, while the Rajput Karni Sena had picked up cudgels earlier in the year, recently, Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) member and BJP leader Arjun Gupta, in a letter addressed to the Home Minister, Rajnath Singh, said, “He (Sanjay Leela Bhansali) needs to be severely punished by being tried for treason for his attempt to distort history, so that in future any filmmaker is wary of these kind of projects.”

FILM BODIES SUPPORT PADMAVATI, BUT IS THE GOVERNMENT DOING ENOUGH?
While the clamour against the filmmaker is rising and he has been given police protection, various bodies within the industry, including the Indian Film & Television Directors’ Association (IFTDA), the Cine And TV Artistes Association (CINTAA), Western India Cinematographers’ Association (WICA), Screenwriters’ Association (SWA), Association of Cine & TV Art Directors & Costume Designers and the workers’ union pledged their support to the filmmaker. Even though the I&B Minister Smriti Irani had said that the State Government will jump into the fray in case of any violence, adding, “I am sure law and order will be under control. The State government will ensure no miscreants disrupt any kind of interaction or display. I don't envisage any problem. If there is any challenge, the State government will meet it.” The associations have promised to write to the Minister of I&B Minister, addressing the need for filmmakers to have the freedom to tell the stories that they want to without fear.

Filmmaker Ashoke Pandit, responsible in bringing all these associations together to extend their support to Bhansali, asserted, “We are not going to take this lying down. The State and Central Governments have to send the message across that filmmakers cannot be silenced through violence. Ruling party MLAs and MPs cannot go against the filmmakers in this manner. The buck should stop with the CBFC. Strict action needs to be taken against those acting against the law. It’s a very sad situation when ministers are giving statements against a film. It’s not necessary that the Rajput Karni Sena’s version of history is true. Unhone history ka theka leke rakha hai kya?”

Incidentally, this isn’t the first time that a film or a filmmaker has had to face opposition for his or her work of art. In the middle of 2016, the makers of Udta Punjab had to appeal to the Supreme Court when the CBFC headed by Pahlaj Nihalani, refused to certify the film without the proposed cuts as it addressed the drug menace prevalent in the state. Last October, when Ae Dil Hai Mushkil faced the ire of the MNS (Maharashtra Navnirman Sena), filmmaker Karan Johar, in a video had to promise that he will not engage with talent from Pakistan to facilitate the smooth release of his film. A few months ago, Madhur Bhandarkar’s Indu Sarkar faced the ire of the Congress party as it revolved around the Emergency. With such instances occurring regularly, the question remains — are these associations powerful enough to elicit a response from the government?

Irrespective of the party that’s in power at the Centre or the State, movies whose themes revolve around religion, politics, gender or for that matter history, have always come under the radar. B P Singh, the President of IFTDA said, “The only thing we can do is come together and appeal to the government. Every time there is a situation like this we have to unite to battle it together. There is concurrence amongst us when it comes to ideas and plan of action. Our strength lies in our unity. Though I don’t think there will be a permanent solution anytime soon. We will have to deal with as and when a problem arises.” Ashoke believes their associations are powerful. He said, “The heads of all these associations represent close to one lakh people. The head of the workers’ union represents close to eight lakh people. The industry has come together and we want action to be taken.”

Since Bhansali’s Padmavati is a big budget production, the association heads were also asked if they would raise their voice against the move of dropping movies like S Durga and Nude from the Indian Panorama Section of the upcoming International Film Festival of India. Ashoke was quick to add, “We condemn every filmmaker whose freedom of expression has been compromised. The industry is under a fear psychosis and there are policemen outside Bhansali’s house for his protection.”

Padmavati is yet to be seen by the CBFC, chairperson Prasoon Joshi condemned CBFC member Arjun Gupta’s comments regarding Bhansali and said, “It’s unfortunate to see the personal point of view expressed by an advisory panel member of CBFC, against Sanjay Leela Bhansali. By no means does it represent the point of view of the CBFC. We have respect for Bhansali as an individual and artiste.” Now, it remains to be seen if the government will extend its support for the release of the film after the CBFC’s verdict on it.

Nayandeep Rakshit (DNA; October 10, 2017)

The entire film industry was witness to the ugly chapter that followed after Karan Johar and Ajay Devgn released their respective films, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil and Shivaay, on the same Friday last Diwali. But looks like the jhagda that began during the festival of lights last year has ended this Diwali.

An insider reveals, “Karan is attaching the prints of his next production venture Ittefaq to the prints of Ajay’s Golmaal Again, which releases in Diwali week. Given the ugly fallout they were involved in last year, this is a good sign.”

PALLY NOW?
This does not mean that KJo and Ajay will now be buddies, but it’s a start. Says another source, “Karan and Kajol recently patched up and now that truce is extending to her spouse. Ajay wouldn’t have allowed Karan to attach his trailer to his film and Karan, too, would have never even given it a thought if all was not well between them.” We are just glad that the hostilities are over.

KAJOL: THE PEACEMAKER?
Earlier this year, Kajol and KJo buried the hatchet at her birthday party. They have been in touch ever since. Ajay and Karan, on the other hand, are still at war over their films on the same incident. Ajay had announced he’s making a film on Battle of Saragarhi way before Karan made his film (with Akshay Kumar) official. Also, Ajay isn’t even close to Shah Rukh Khan who’s co-producing the film. We wonder if Kajol convinced hubby Devgn to finally put an end to their long-standing feud.

Chaya Unnikrishnan (DNA; September 15, 2017)

There’s been a lot of speculation about who is essaying the role of mathematician Anand Kumar in a biopic on him. Earlier, Hrithik Roshan was slated to do it, but he has opted out and reports suggest Akshay Kumar is doing it. However, the Khiladi denies it saying, “So far I haven’t been approached for it; I have no idea.”

Action again?
The actor, who is almost done with the shoot of Padman, will soon be revisiting his action avatar after Brothers. He will be getting into the fighting mode with a film based on the Battle of Saragarhi. Tell him that Ajay Devgn also is planning a film on the same subject and he says, “I have no idea who is doing what, all I know is that I will start shooting for this yet-to-be-titled film in December.”

‘It’s about the connect’
Akshay’s last few releases like Jolly LLB 2 and Toilet - Ek Prem Katha were based in small-towns with him playing characters from the heartland and they turned out to be big hits. Even his next film Pad Man will see him playing a small-town guy, who invented the low-cost, sanitary pad-making machine. When asked if he is choosing small-town films and heartland characters because they have a bigger connect with the audience, he says, “It is not about the connect, it is about the story. There have been so many heartland films that haven’t connected. A film like Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, which wasn’t a heartland film, connected with the audience. It doesn’t matter where the film is based — Bihar or Brazil — the story has to connect. I have been lucky in the sense that the last four-five films have connected and I got good stories. The most important aspect is the writer. They (the writers) are the main people, who make the film a hit, not an actor. The director and actor come in later on. But it is your writer, his screenplay, the script that makes the actor a big actor, it is not because his acting is good. Pehle ye toh bata tu acting karega kis pe? For me, that is the number one priority. Then comes who is directing it, who is producing it, who is the co-star, etc. What is important is whether the story has touched me, and if it has, I do it,” says the actor.

Laugh out loud
Unlike most actors who have just one or two releases a year, Akshay has multiple releases as he shoots for several films through the year. This year, he has also made time for a TV show. He will be seen as the super judge on The Great Indian Laughter Challenge. Ask him how he manages it and he says, “When it comes to films, I am a producer’s actor and don’t want to waste their time and money. I try to be on time always for shoots hence they happen fast. As for this show, I find it relaxing. I get to sit down quietly and watch people coming from different places like Bihar, Odisha, and Bengaluru with the mindset to make you laugh. It’s the most difficult genre. To make someone cry is easy — Ek dukhbhari kahaani bol di. This is challenging and I find myself laughing all the time when I am on the sets.”

Genre, no bar
Interestingly, unlike Salman Khan who is associated with Bigg Boss and Amitabh Bachchan, who is the face of Kaun Banega Crorepati, Akshay has not remained with any one show for long. He started as the host of Khatron Ke Khiladi, then did Masterchef followed by Dare To Dance. And now it’s comedy for him. “Yes, I have never been associated with any kind of genre. I don’t want to be stuck with a certain image. This has happened to me in the past. Early in my career I used to do so much action that I got stuck with that image and nobody would cast me in a different film. That time I learnt my lesson, never to cast myself in one image. So I started doing films in different genres and that’s how I want it to be on TV, too,” reasons Akshay.

He went for her birthday, she ‘liked’ a picture of his twins, he ‘followed’ her back on Instagram but they won’t comment on their emotional reunion. Here’s Kajol and Karan Johar’s friendship status
Meena Iyer (MYMBAI MIRROR; August 9, 2017)

On Tuesday, around 2 pm, Filmfare tweeted, “Now this is the happiest news we have heard.” After a yearlong cold war, Karan Johar and Kajol have finally patched up. The news sparked speculation about what had brought the former besties together after an ugly fall-out last year around Diwali.

Mirror has learnt that on August 5, Kajol invited family and a few friends to celebrate her 43rd birthday. And she decided to extend an olive branch to her longtime friend and director by sending him an invite too. “She’s never been big on parties. It was an informal lunch. Karan sportingly turned up. They hugged, chatted for a couple of hours and Karan teared up. When he left the ice had melted. They did not touch on the issues that had created the rift,” informed a source.

The online world woke up to the reconciliation when Karan shared the first pictures of his twins, Yash and Roohi, on Raksha Bandhan. Kajol ‘liked’ the post and Karan returned the favour by hitting the ‘follow’ button on her profile.

Social media has played a significant role in this story. Last year around Diwali, Kajol’s husband Ajay Devgn and Karan had locked horns over the release of their respective films, Shivaay and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, that faced-off at the box office. Self-appointed critic Kamaal R Khan’s revelation during a recorded phone conversation with Ajay’s longtime friend Kumar Mangat that he had been paid to sabotage Shivaay had not gone down well with the leading lady of KJo’s blockbusters Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kabhie Khushi Kabhi Gham and My Name Is Khan. She reacted with a one-word tweet, “Shocking!”

Referring to the tweet, Karan acknowledged in his autobiography An Unsuitable Boy that that’s when he knew it was completely over for him. “She can never come back to my life… she’s killed every bit of emotion I had for her for 25 years. I don’t think she deserves me. I feel nothing for her anymore,” he raged.

Kajol and Ajay chose to maintain a stoic silence. In an interview to Mirror (Oct 24, 2016) Ajay said, “All I can say is whatever was there was over long ago and has nothing to do with professional work. There are personal reasons for it which I don’t think anybody would want to talk about.”

Kajol had been equally evasive. When prodded about her former friend, she had told Mirror (July 26), “Since you are expecting an answer, I am going to give you one. This is not the time or place to clarify. I would prefer not to speak about it.”

Their camaraderie was the stuff of industry lore, their unabashedly back-slapping could make a third person feel out of place — Rani Mukerji shifting uneasily on the sofa next to Kajol during an old episode of KJo’s talk show comes to mind. Kajol was Karan’s lucky charm, making guest appearances in films that did not feature her, and a regular fixture at Karan’s residence, pampered the most by his mother, Hiroo, and the only actresses who stood out with her frankspeak on Koffee With Karan, thereby demonstrating that she could get away with murder as far as KJo was concerned.

Meanwhile, despite acting in one of Karan’s production, Kaal, Ajay never really warmed up to his wife’s BFF but never objected to it either. This changed when he was reportedly told that Karan had been badmouthing Kajol and his family at a party. He gave Karan an earful over the phone. In February, Karan admitted to a senior journalist that he was hurt about how Ajay had responded to “hearsay” without giving him a chance to defend himself. He was equally upset with Kajol. “She should not have allowed her husband to say such things to me and even if he had, she shouldn’t have endorsed it. She should have picked up the phone and said ‘sorry’ for that entire situation,’’ he had said.

The KRK episode was the last nail in the coffin, with KJo making a full disclosure in his book: “I don’t have a relationship with Kajol anymore. We’ve had a fall-out. Something happened that disturbed me deeply which I will not talk about because it’s something that I like to protect and feel it would not be fair to her or to me. After two and half decades, Kajol and I don’t talk at all. We just acknowledge each other, say ‘hello’ and walk past.”

But, as they say, no friendship or enmity is permanent in Bollywood. According to the source, things began to change after the arrival of KJo’s twins this February. The new father sent Kajol a picture of his babies but things were far from back to normal. On July 29, Karan was seen scurrying off the stage at an awards show he was hosting when Kajol walked up to receive an award on Ajay’s behalf. Jeetendra and his son Tusshar Kapoor, who were on the stage with Kajol, looked confused by his hurried exit. He returned only after she had stepped off. Earlier, he had gone the extra mile to avoid her and Ajay at another awards show in March.

It was another text message that buried the hatchet. Kajol invited Karan to her birthday; He RSVPed ‘Yes’. “It was an emotional reunion, they genuinely care for each other,” said the source, adding that Ajay was absent from the scene. When Mirror contacted the duo, they refused to give an official comment. Their reason was interestingly the same — they feel the patch-up is in nascent stage and want to give it time before waxing eloquent about beautiful forevers.

Sarita A Tanwar (DNA; August 8, 2017)

Producer-director Karan Johar has done six films with Shah Rukh Khan (if you don’t count the cameos in Kaal and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil). Then KJo made one film without him — Student of The Year. There were rumours of a rift between them, that ended when the star made a friendly appearance in KJo’s last film, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. For the fans of this star and filmmaker jodi, that cameo is a sign of them coming together for Karan’s next directorial. Ask KJo about the SRK cameo in ADHM, and he says, “Shah Rukh is amazing. The day when he did that one scene for me in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, he didn’t know anything about it. He came on the set, read the scene and did it. We have a chemistry as director and actor that is just ours. He looks at me and he knows what I need. He read the scene and he knew what I wanted and I knew what he was going to do. We had kept eight hours and we finished it in four. Everybody in my team said, ‘You two are just amazing together’.”

Emotional moments
Being back on a set with SRK post SOTY must have been emotional. Karan confesses, “We were both emotional, but we were pretending as if we are grown men. Aishwarya (Rai Bachchan) said, ‘You both have this connection’. I wrote the lines knowing that he was going to render them just the way it was shot and designed and I went to him and said, ‘I think only you can do this scene’. I needed his star power for that moment in the film and it just came together beautifully.”

Amazing chemistry
That chemistry is exactly why the public wants to see them back together. Karan says, “I know that when we do come together, it will be seamless. He is one actor I know, if I go to him for a film, he won’t even ask for a narration and will still come more prepared than most actors. I know when we come together — which could happen anytime — it will always be special because he and I have an understanding that I can proudly say he has only with me.”

‘It has to be something big’
For the two to come together, the project will have to be great. SRK had recently said that Karan had approached him for a role, but then dropped the idea as the latter wasn’t convinced about the project. “Yes, Shah Rukh is somebody with whom I have had a great creative collaboration. We are a little like a dream team, so I feel like when we come together, it has to be a mammoth film and has to be bigger than anything else.”

With the fervour for Kishore Kumar songs still going strong on the legend's 88th birth anniversary, singer Amit Kumar Ganguly gets candid about life with his iconic father
Debarati Sen (BOMBAY TIMES; August 5, 2017)