Aamir-Karan: Lunch then Koffee?

Aamir Khan and Karan Johar, who are in London currently, had lunch together a couple of days ago.

The filmmaker and the Bollywood superstar have been continuing with a series of meetings in recent times. Speculation has it that Aamir will be a guest on Karan's television show going on the floors next month. Well if that happens, it should come as no surprise.


(TOI)

Brand Dharma: Karan Johar's new karma

By Nandini Raghavendra, ET Bureau

Not much has changed in Dharma Productions office in the six years since Yash Johar died. Yes, the traffic in the lane leading to the office has definitely increased manifold.

And the cabin and chair occupied by Yash Johar has a new occupant, Apoorva Mehta, Karan Johar’s school friend and Dharma Productions CEO.

What has noticeably changed is the wall lit with posters of the films produced under the Dharma banner. From the once-in-two-years films that Karan Johar directed, Dharma’s slate reads two to three films in a year, with foreign studios, Indian corporate film houses, “official” Hollywood remakes, so you have a wall which is pretty much filled up.

“Dharma Productions is what Yash Raj Films was four to five years ago. It is a commendable achievement,” says Anil Thadani of distribution house AA Films.

Today, the distributor fraternity is willing to pay the price Karan asks for his films; in a situation where distributors are cutting down on what they buy, he stands out, he adds.

“What works is that Dharma’s success ratio which is very high and Karan’s keen sense of commerce. He can calculate how much each film can make and knows that a KANK will not be a K3G at the box office. That is Karan’s forte. He has a good balance of creativity and commerce,” says Thadani.

The YRF comparison is something Karan junior frowns at and dismisses, but when the audience at the Berlin Film Festival welcomes the Dharma Productions logo and its music with a resounding applause, he does feel a huge sense of achievement.

A silent dream he had harboured alone, of seeing Brand Dharma resonate across domestic and overseas markets, has been achieved to a large extent. He knows he has done his father proud.

Very like his films. Friend, actor, co-producer, family Shah Rukh Khan says he wished, “Yash Uncle were alive,” for he would certainly have been proud of how his son had grown the production house he had begun.

Among Johar’s last wishes was that Karan nurture Dharma into a family that lived by the ethics and values which would put people ahead of commerce.

“Do not ever tarnish the goodwill of Dharma,” was his advice and it is a mantra his son swears he has lived by. All his seven debutante directors, friends like SRK or Mehta, as well as distributors like Thadani and Siddharth Roy Kapur of UTV vouch for the fact that Karan is a people’s person.

It is his trust in human beings that takes priority, everything else follows. “I never go wrong with people; it happened just once. Delegation and trust are the two things which are critical to building any organisation and I have followed both, after which everything comes easy,” adds Karan, who does not think trust is difficult to place.

So while there is a method to the madness of scaling up from one film in two years to producing 10 films in the past six years, the filmmaker insists that it all begins with people.

Clearing a script and setting budgets follow, after which he delegates the work. There is no looking in or back once a decision has been made. All seven Dharma directors vouch for this in different ways.

From Tarun Mansukhani, who has worked the longest with Karan and made Dostana, Karan’s first production, to Siddharth P Malhotra (actor Premnath’s grandson), who made We Are Family, the first ‘official’ remake of a Hollywood film, Stepmom, and the other five from Ayan Mukherjee (Wake Up Sid) to Punit Malhotra (I Hate Luv Stories) insist that they just did their thing.

“I only come in postproduction, where I make suggestions. There is definitely a creative debate and I would say if I have to put my foot down, I would tell them to trust my experience,” says Karan.

In this journey, Karan the Director has consciously taken a step back, to aid, advise and ensure that Karan the Producer matures. His friend and CEO, Mehta’s exasperated look and constant calculations have ensured the “baby steps in conscious change, like sticking to budgets and timelines.”

And though Karan sidesteps all talk on money, from Mehta to SRK and Thadani to Kapur, all swear by his sharp business mind. As a child, he devoured every trade magazine to see “the report card of every film” and can still rattle off likely UK and US weekend figure collections from a Friday report.

“Karan has his feet firmly planted on the ground and is very aware of market dynamics. It is very rare for a top filmmaker to have such a keen sense of the intricacies of the business. It’s a really lethal combination of creative and commercial instincts at play,” says Kapur.

From spending all his father’s money as he told us frankly five years ago, Karan the producer has deployed close to Rs 350 crore across his last eight to 10 films and another Rs 150 crore tied in for the next three films going on the floors this year itself.

From self-funding, Dharma, with the help of Mehta, moved into institutional finance and brought IDBI on board. “It was a clean way of making films,” says Mehta, and also the best way to increase the slate.

Slowly, a corporate culture evolved with planning, marketing, legal contracts, says Mehta. From working only with Yash Raj, Dharma began working with UTV, a relationship which has matured from three films to co-production as well, foreign studios (Fox Star Studios and now Sony Pictures), all of this while remaining independent.

While Karan has often voiced to this paper that he sees himself attaching to a studio someday, for now, he has given himself two years to “see whether I have the bandwidth to sustain what I have begun.” Distribution and exhibition are definitely out, but it must be a model where he has the creative control.

“From mentoring directors, Karan is moving into a whole new phase of seeking and nurturing talent across screenplay, writing and acting,” says friend SRK, and this is where the next growth and challenge for Dharma lies.

For now, he reads at least five scripts a week. While the industry cries itself hoarse over the dearth of talent, Karan is confident of finding it.

“I promise you, a lot of new talent will come; that is the next phase of our cinema. How long will we play six to eight permutations and combinations of our stars? I hope to play a big part in finding this talent. YRF has been a visionary in this. I think we have no choice, because after all, in films, content is king. Hollywood has killed the star system, 3D, CG, etc rule there,” he says. Sounds like we have a hot new script being written right here.

(The Economic Times)

Siddharth Malhotra: 'I'll make films only with Dharma Productions!'

Even as the accolades continue to stream in for 'We Are Family,' director Siddharth Malhotra, has already moved on to his next project. Malhotra's future effort will be a comedy based along the lines of 'Chupke Chupke'.

"It'll be a complete family entertainer and I'll be making my films only with Dharma Productions," states the director in a media quote. "And I'd love to work with Kajol again. I've been watching Kajol right from the time she entered cinema. I've also watched her bad films like 'Taaqat' and 'Hulchul'. I think Kajol is a very clean soul."

'WAF' has earned high brownie points for its perfect casting and Malhotra explains as to why he handpicked Arjun Rampal to match histrionics with Kajol and Kareena Kapoor.

"I wanted a man over whom the two women could fight," says Malhotra. "He had to be good looking. I wanted to show the film through a man's point of view."

(By MovieTalkies.com)

'Kareena has surpassed Julia Roberts' - Siddharth Malhotra

Siddharth Malhotra's directorial debut We Are Family -- starring Kajol, Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal -- will release this week. But not many know about him and his family.
Siddharth belongs to a filmi family -- his grandparents Premnath and Bina Rai were popular actors. His father Prem Krishen was an actor and producer, who owns a production company called Cinevista. So films was a natural step for Siddharth.
He assisted Vidhu Vinod Chopra on the film Kareeb, when he was only 15 years old. He did a filmmaking course from New York University, and then went on to assist Karan Johar on Kal Ho Naa Ho.
Siddharth is also a trained classical singer, and released an album called Dhun. Modestly, he thought he was not good at it, so he gave it up.

What made him get into direction? "I always felt that a director is more powerful than an actor," he said. "My grandfather always wanted to be a director, so did my father. In fact, every actor wants to be a director at some point. Even Ranbir Kapoor wants to be a director. In my college days, I wanted to be an actor. But that lasted for a short period. I never took it seriously."
Siddharth has been producing television serials for the last 10 years. Yet, he has never directed even an episode. "There you have to learn to cheat. You have to churn out an episode per day. I know the frustration that TV directors go through. They have to be on their toes always. Plus, I can't think saas-bahu. I make young shows like Dil Mil Gaye. I don't enjoy production; I only do it because I have a company to run. I don't understand the economics of serial-making. I would rather spend my time writing scripts and discussing cinema," Siddharth explains.
Besides, the young director has always loved watching films, his favourites being Saaz-e-Maut, Khamosh and Parinda. "I am a huge fan of Vinod Chopra," Siddharth says. "He is a genius. There is not a single director, who can take a shot technically better than him."
When Siddharth asked Chopra if he could work with him, Chopra readily agreed without even knowing his family history. "I was 15 then and everyone bullied me. I did all the things that an assistant would not do in the film industry. I was naive," he smiles.
Besides Chopra, Siddharth claims that Sooraj Barjatya and Karan Johar also taught him well.

So why did Siddharth direct for Karan Johar, after working so closely with Chopra?
"After Kareeb I went to the US to learn filmmaking. I called Vinod Chopra after I returned, but he said he was making a film only after two years. So I joined Karan," Siddharth explains.
And it was Karan, and his blockbuster debut Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, that made up Siddharth's mind about being a director.
"I just love Kuch Kuch Hota Hai," he says. "I watch it even today. Likewise, I know all the dialogues of Maine Pyar Kiya and even the background music score by heart. My grandfather and Yash (Johar) uncle were good friends. My mother and (Karan Johar's mother) Hiroo aunty are good friends. I have known Karan since a long time. So when I told him that I wanted to assist him, he agreed. I was the fourth assistant on Kal Ho Naa Ho. I never had to struggle."
After Kal Ho Naa Ho, Siddharth returned to television, with a break to produce Salman Khan's Garv. Saas-bahu soaps were very popular at the time, and Siddharth was constantly asked to make one.
"I was so unhappy that I would literally cry. One day, I told my parents that I can't do this any more, even if that meant I would be unemployed," he said.
Thankfully for Siddharth, Sooraj Barjatya came to his rescue. Siddharth had expressed a desire to work with the director a year and a half ago, but Barjatya was scripting Vivaah then. So when Siddharth was down, Barjatya called him and said he was starting the Vivaah shoot. Siddharth immediately came on board.
'With Soorajji, you don't only learn the technical aspects. You also learn how to behave on the sets. He listens to your advice; he will also listen to the advice of spot boys," he says.
"Soorajji and Raju (Rajkumar Hirani) are very close friend to me," he adds. "My first television show was with Abbas Tyrewala, Raju and Victor (Vijay Krishna Acharya, who directed Tashan). These are very down-to-earth people. When I started my film, besides Karan and Soorajji, I also asked Raju for his advice."
After Vivaah, Siddharth decided to write a family comedy. Barjatya read the first draft, and loved it. Siddharth gave the script to Karan as well. After reading it, Karan decided to sign him on as director.
The script did not take off because four drafts later, they still weren't satisfied.

Meanwhile, Siddharth asked a writer from Cinevista, Vineeta, to adapt Stepmom for the Indian palate. He gave that script to Karan, and it was accepted.
Karan decided to buy the requisite rights for the film, and the whole process took nine months. The delay made Siddharth frustrated but also taught him patience.
After that, Kajol and Kareena Kapoor were approached. The film was made in 63 shifts, working on a 9 to 6 schedule.
Siddharth picked Stepmom because he had cried when he first saw it, years ago. He wanted to make a film about family values.
"For me, Stepmom is a story of a mother who is going to give away her kids to another woman. That story would appeal to all of us. The man in the film goes through so many complexities. That wasn't highlighted but we have done that here.
"Plus, Julia Roberts' characterisation had a hate graph but Kareena's character is more dignified. She has done a superb job. I am not being biased because she is my second cousin or because it is my film but because I have seen her work," he says, adding, "Kareena has surpassed Julia Roberts because we have shown the film to about 150 people and that's what they have said. Her performance is more dignified than Julia Roberts'. Her character never falls; there are many layers to it. She did workshops with me before we shot for the film. Kajol does not need any workshop so she did not do it. Kareena had this thing that she is sharing the screen with Kajol. Plus, her role was very complex."
Siddharth claims that Karan never came on the sets of We Are Family. "Karan is there to help you as creative producer. But he did not come on the sets for an entire day. He would just visit during the lunch breaks. After approving the script, he directly saw the final edit," Siddharth said.

How did he decide on the cast?
"I could not think of anyone other than Kajol and Kareena. In fact, I took a mannat for Kajol that if I get her, I would visit the Hanuman mandir all my life. Now, I think I should have said a year only," he laughs. "But anyway, I have a friend for life now. I will approach her for every film that I write.
"Karan and I both knew that the other role belonged to Kareena. No one could do it better than her," he adds. But getting her was very difficult despite the fact that the two are related.
"Kareena is my cousin but in this industry, there are no relatives. Kareena is at the top of her career. She will not invest her time for a role which is not good for her. Karan would not let me offer her a role which was not worth it because she is his Rakhi sister. But when she heard the script, she okayed it.
"For the actor, we did not want to overcast or under-cast. We wanted a man who would be good enough for the two women to fight over. He should be an actor who can speak with his eyes and his silences. People who have seen the film say that Arjun Rampal is a surprise package."

Siddharth insists that there were no catfights on the sets between the two actresses. They just had a lot of fun.
"In fact, we started talking in Kareena's lingo. When something is very good, she would say, 'Fab.' If too many people came on the sets, she would call them 'liabilities'."
Like in the first film of his career Kareeb, Siddharth seemed to be bullied here as well. "There was a scene where Kajol had to paint her children's face, and they paint her face. I told Kajol to try it on me and she put all the paint on me! I cleaned up and got ready for the next scene which required them to put maida (flour) on one another. Arjun threw all the maida on me. In another scene, the children had to throw spaghetti on Kareena. Kareena kept asking them to throw very little spaghetti on her, so the kids threw really very little at first. But finally, she let go and they threw all the spaghetti on her. Her hair got completely spoiled," Siddharth says.
Kajol always managed to keep Siddharth on his toes. "Kajol is a very sharp actor," he says. She thinks a hundred times before she asks a question or makes a comment. So when you answer her, you have to convince her with a logical answer. If you are bluffing or you're not prepared, she will catch you."
So what next after We Are Family? "I have signed a three-film contract with Dharma Productions," Siddharth signs off.

(Rediff)

Behind the scenes: We Are Family

The fun actors had behind the scenes while filming We are Family.

Arjun Rampal : The actor damaged his knee just before he shot the song Jailhouse Rock. Of course, being the professional that he is, Arjun just bandaged the injured knee and slid down the guitar for song in true Elvis Presley style. He later groaned with pain but during the shoot, it never showed!

Kareena Kapoor: The actress got the whole unit and the three children in WAF hooked to her three key words — fab (anything that is going right), shinde (upset), liabilities (unwanted people).

Kajol: The actress dug her nose into her book as soon as she finished her shot when she was shooting with Arjun, hardly exchanging any conversation with him. Arjun still doesn't think that Kajol's a snob and he admires her totally. Siddharth Malhotra, too, adores Kajol so much so that he has watched her debut film Bekhudi directed by Rahul Rawail 18 times; and he has even seen her least talked about movies like Hulchul and Taaqat.

The director, Siddharth Malhotra, is Kareena's second cousin and he calls her mother, Babita chachi. But he didn't go to Bebo with WAF as family. As a thorough professional, he went to Mehboob Studio and narrated the script to her with complete dialogues. And when WAF was ready, he wanted to show the first copy to Babita chachi!

April 20 is Kareena's mum Babita's birthday; and Kajol's daughter Nysa's birthday, too. They both decided to play traunt that day and bullied Siddharth to give them a chutti.

(TOI)

Shahid present, Bebo absent!

A Kareena Kapoor film and Shahid Kapoor in the audience? Now that's some food for thought!

But then, if it's Karan Johar calling you to attend a special screening of his film, then it's difficult to say no, haina Shahid? The actor made heads turn at Cinemax on Wednesday evening as he came along to watch ex-girlfriend Kareena's film We Are Family, hosted by KJo and Siddharth Malhotra. And although there were loads of others, it turned out to be quite a directors' special! Why?

Well, there was Amol Gupte, Sooraj Barjatya, Rajkumar Hirani, Punit Malhotra, Rensil D'Silva, Jugal Hansraj and Ayan Mukerji, who came to attend the screening. Also enjoying themselves at the do were Arti Shetty, Shankar Mahadevan, Loy Mendonsa, Vikas Sethi, Sonu Nigam, Kriti Soni and Shibani Bhatija.

(TOI)

KJo blames lack of writers for remakes

Even as Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions steadily emerges as a platform for new directors in Bollywood, Johar has taken his first step to empower screenwriters in the industry. The producer-director will now use his Twitter stream to discuss scripts with budding writers, and will also sign

He says, “We are poor in the writing department because we don't empower our writers. Most first-time directors are trying to write on their own, and they’re doing it as a final resort. But they’re not comfortable with it and yet, they’re not complaining.” Johar’s decision came close on the heels of Shah Rukh Khan’s message on his Twitter stream saying the problem with Indian movies isn’t their predictable plots, but their hackneyed screenplays. Johar, too, seems convinced by Khan’s observation.

What might change things, Johar believes, is if the industry gives writers the space, place and power to be motivated to create content, and churn out stories that appeal to the masses. Dharma Productions’ upcoming release We Are Family, directed by debutante Siddharth Malhotra, releases this week. The Kajol-Kareen Kapoor-Arjun Rampal starrer is an adaptation of the Julia Roberts film Stepmom, and has been co-written by Malhotra.

Lack of ideas
Citing why Johar had to go for a Hollywood remake, he says, “We need skilled craftsmen to generate ideas and write stories, and also to make adaptations work. Until then, directors will be forced to write their own movies.” He further adds, “I think I’ve now broken out of the mould I created for myself, and am looking to make all kinds of movies and with all kinds of writers. However, what is necessary is that the screenplay should appeal to my instinct”
Currently Johar is re-working Agneepath, bringing out Dostana 2 and finalising the title of the Imran-Kareena movie, Short Term Shaadi. But only so long as he believes that the director who has written a screenplay is also capable of directing it.

( Aalap Deboor and Sharin Bhatti, Hindustan Times )