Friday, January 28, 2011

Shah Rukh in KJo's next

In our report dated November 29, 2010 on Karan Johar launching Mahesh Bhatt's daughter in his next film, we told you that SRK was likely to play a cameo in the film. Not only will SRK co-produce KJo's film Student Of The Year, he will also play a significant role in the film.

In fact, Karan, who is taking a monthlong break to go overseas and finish the script of this film, plans to work on SRK's character.

So all rumours about KJo working without his best friend Shah Rukh Khan for the first time in his next directorial, can now safely be put to rest.

Our source said, "Rumours about SRK acting in KJo's next had been doing the rounds but Karan's constant silence about the film started giving people the impression that SRK was only planning to produce the film. But actually, both SRK and Karan are co-producing the film, which will launch newcomers Varun Dhawan , Siddarth Malhotra and Aaliya Bhatt. SRK will play the role of one of the professors in the college. The role will not be limited to a cameo; it will be full-fledged one."

Apparently, a perfect outline of Shah Rukh's character in the film will only be ready by the time KJo returns from his month-long trip. We sent a text message to Karan but he chose not to reply.

(Times of India)

Karan Johar reveals his future plans

Maintaining a good pace and going steady, Karan Johar has definite plans to build his empire. Though his production house may not have been as prolific as corporate houses like UTV or BIG Pictures, he has a definite vision in place.

"Most of the directors who have made their first film with me and now busy working on their scripts to kick start their next with my production house", announces Karan who has given break to close to half a dozen film makers already, "Ayan Mukherjee (director of WAKE UP SID) will make his next immediately. His script will be ready in a month's time. Puneet Malhotra (of I HATE LUV STORYS) is also into scripting. As for Tarun Mansukhani (DOSTANA), he is neck deep down into ensuring that the script of DOSTANA 2 is double the fun. He wants to take the film to the next level."

While these three directors would be making their second film with Karan, another debutant director who is currently raring to go is Karan Malhotra. He would soon be getting his Hrithik Roshan and Priyanka Chopra starrer remake of AGNEEPATH on floors.

"That's right", confirms Karan Johar, "AGNEEPATH is one prestigious project for us. We can't surpass geniuses like (director) Mukul S Anand, Amitabh Bachchan and (producer) Yash Johar who made AGNEEPATH the way we see today. It is quite ironical though that when the original AGNEEPATH released 20 years back, it wasn't even a commercial success. All we can do is to make an attempt that honours a film which has a cult standing today."

Here is looking forward to your vision taking a good form Karan.

(Glamsham)

Ajay gets candid over a Koffee With Karan

Koffee was the beverage that got the usually reticent Ajay Devgn to spill the beans on not just his movies, but also his life with Kajol, making for one steaming hot episode of Karan Johar's chat show.

The Big D got candid about how Kajol wasn't interested in him when they first met, and how she's now come a long way from the girl who couldn't care less to being a jealous wife.

But while the much married actor appears to be loving the state of matrimony, his advice to B-Town It Couple, Saif and Kareena, was not to get married - a comment he later dismissed as a joke.

We usually get to see Ajay Devgn's lighter side on the big screen and we're thrilled at the chance to catch a glimpse of it closer to real life. The episode is sure to be one of the highlights of Koffee With Karan's current, very controversial season - that is, as long as it's not subjected to a heavy job.

(NDTV)

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Ajay Devgn, KJo make up over coffee

Ajay Devgan and filmmaker Karan Johar had some candid conversation...

There was news that Ajay Devgn didn't fit well in the KJo-SRK camp, and in fact didn't even approve of it. But hatchets seem to have been buried...

Apparently, Karan Johar was eager to have Ajay Devgn on his show ' Koffee with Karan' as a guest, and had extended an invitation to him even last season and the season before last as well. But Ajay Devgn declined the offers. However, Karan Johar extended an invitation to him once again to appear on his chat show this season, and Ajay Devgn has gladly accepted.

So it was only recently that the two bonded over coffee on KJO's chat show. It has been learnt that Karan was keen to have Kajol and Ajay Devgn together on his show, but Kajol reverted that she was busy with mommy duties, but did mention that she would try and get her hubby Ajay to participate on the show.

Ajay wasn't too comfortable with the 'controversy-creating' format of the show. Also, he is an introvert and not very media savvy. However, Kajol and Karan together convinced him that they wouldn't indulge in gossip, but rather concentrate on his 20-year successful career in the industry.

Ajay proved to be a great guest on Karan's 'Koffee with Karan'. In fact, even Karan noticed that Devgn had a brilliant sense of humour, and insists that the Rapid Fire round is one to watch out for.

(The Times of India )

Sonakshi to accompany Madhuri at Koffee With Karan!

It is every Bollywood actresses’ desire to share the couch with the dancing diva Madhuri Dixit.

This was best seen when Karan wanted an actress to accompany Madhuri Dixit on his celebrity chat show Koffee With Karan.

Karan told a tabloid “I can’t say I’m amazed by Madhuri’s popularity. When I decided to invite her on my show I didn’t know that her popularity seeps down right to the youngest of Bollywood.”

Buzz is in the air that ‘Dabangg’ girl Sonakshi Sinha may be the lucky girl to accompany Madhuri on Karan’s show.

(By Agencies)

Hrithik - Priyanka to get 'passionate' in Agneepath

You've never seen them like this before. Unprecedented sparks are going to fly between 'passionate' Priyanka Chopra and 'intense' Hrithik Roshan in Agneepath.

Says a source, "Hrithik and Priyanka don't believe in half-measures. If they've to convey intense feelings and passion they will go the whole hog in Agneepath. If in Krissh they romanced innocently keeping the kids in mind, their togetherness in Agneepath will be for Adults only."

The camaraderie between Hrithik and Priyanka is so palpable that Karan Johar gets a sense of deja vu. As a child, on his father Yash Johar's sets of Agneepath in 1990, Amitabh Bachchan and Madhavi shared the same easygoing bum-chum bantering and witty vibes as Priyanka and Hrithik.

Says a source, "Karan was just a teenager when his father had produced the original Agneepath. He still remembers the fantastic rapport between Mr. Bachchan and Madhavi. That relationship, Karan and his Agneepath remake's director Karan Malhotra felt, needed to be developed. The Hrithik-Priyanka bonding in the new Agneepath will build on the relationship that Karan had seen between Mr. Bachchan and Madhavi in the original Agneepath. The love story would be the core of the film."

When asked about the Hrithik-Priyanka rapport, Karan Johar said, "All I can tell you at the moment is that Priyanka is not playing a nurse like Madhavi in the original and she is not playing prostitute either. Yes we've built on the relationship shown in the original film between Amit Uncle and Madhaviji. The new Agneepath is first and foremost an intense love story. There was love between Priyanka and Hrithik in Krissh. But here we want an unparalleled intensity between them. You've never seen Priyanka and Hrithik get so intense with anyone before."

Composer duo Ajay-Atul to do music for Karan Johar's Agneepath remake

After announcing new actors for his banner, it is time for new music composers to enter Karan Johar's Dharma Productions.

The Marathi music composing brothers Ajay and Atul Gogavale who shot to fame with their Marathi compositions Natrang have hit big-time in Bollywood.

They have now been signed up by Karan Johar to do the music for his new-age remake of Agneepath. The sound captured for Agneepath is expected to be very different from what we normally hear in the films today.

Explains Karan Johar, "We wanted a sound that resonated what the composing maestros Laxmikant-Pyarelal had done in my father's production of Agneepath. With due respects to the composers today, I don't think anyone giving state-of-the-art music could've done the sound we wanted."

It was Riteish Deshmukh who introduced Karan to Atul-Ajay.

Says Karan, "I loved Atul-Ajay's music in Natrang. The minute my Agneepath director Karan Malhotra and I heard their music, we knew this is what we were looking for. Atul and Ajay will do to this new Agneepath what Laxmikant-Pyarelal had done to my father's Agneepath. The music has the same epic quality with huge orchestral sounds, etc."

This is first time that Karan Johar is working with a new team of music composers. It's part of his plan to rejuvenate the film industry with new talent.

Some of the songs for the new Agneepath have already been finalized.

Speaking on behalf of both the brothers Atul Gogavale says, "When Karan Johar asked us to do a new kind of sound in the Laxmikant-Pyarelal tradition, we immediately knew what he wanted. We've seen the original Agneepath at least a dozen times only to absorb the music of Laxmikant-Pyarelal. We've already locked in three tunes. And the very special thing about our music in Agneepath is that we're composing an entirely separate theme for the protagonist Vijay Deenanath Chauhan's character."

Monday, January 17, 2011

New kid on the block: Alia Bhatt

Alia Bhatt is Mahesh Bhatt’s daughter with Soni Razdan. She will make her debut in Karan Johar’s Student of the Year which will release later this year.







This is Karan Johar’s first film post My Name is Khan and the only film in which Shah Rukh Khan does not have a leading role. He might do a cameo in it, though. The film will be a launch pad for Siddharth Malhtra, Varun Dhawan, and Alia Bhatt. Shooting begins in June. Alia is already dating her co-star Varun Dhawan.

Alia and Varun met during the casting and got along well. Alia is new to Dharma while Varun is a regular at the production house and has also assisted KJo on My Name is Khan. They hit it off from the first day and are now dating and getting to know each other before shooting begins.

Alia is seventeen-years-old and loves to watch movies and television shows and listen to music. She is Pooja and Rahul Bhatt’s step-sister. She is on Twitter but does not tweet often and follows only her family members. She gets cranky if she does not sleep enough. She likes partying and is friends with Akanksha Ranjan, y\the younger daughter of Anu and Shashi Ranjan, among others.

Nothing is known about her role in the film but one can guess that the movie will be like Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. While KKHH had two girls and one guy, SOTY has one girl and two guys fighting over her. It is a campus romance which should be out by the end of this year.

(starboxoffice)

Hrithik shoots back at Salman

On his 'happy' birthday a few days ago, Hrithik Roshan was truly exultant.

He seemed to be blissfully content and in a mood to forgive and forget, which is why he reacted to Salman Khan calling him a "child", in an oddly calm tone. Hrithik said, "Salman must have said it with affection. And I don't think there is anything wrong in being a child," (Mumbai Mirror, January 10, 2011).

But things are not always what they seem on the surface. Hrithik's passivity was, as it appears, only a garb. Recently, Hrithik and his wife Sussanne shot with Karan Johar for an episode of Koffee with Karan.

On the show, Hrithik shot back at Sallu by saying, "Salman thinks that the world is conspiring against him, but that's not true. We all love him." He further added, "I don't want to use this as a medium to comment on Salman."

Naturally, a few things between the two actors are still not over and buried. We wonder what Sallu has to say about Hrithik's latest comment but unfortunately, both Duggu and he did not revert on this. Call it instinct, but Sallu just might. So, watch this space for more.


(TOI)

Thursday, January 13, 2011

'Student Of The Year' Couple are already dating each other

Debutant co-stars of Karan Johar's 'Student Of The Year' are already dating each other, even before their shoot begins

B-Town is filled with tales of co-stars falling for each other while shooting for their first screen pairing together.

However, Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan who make their debut in Karan Johar's Student Of The Year, hit it off even before shooting began.

The two met during casting and liked each other almost immediately and are now seeing each other.

While Varun has been a Dharma regular and even assisted Karan on My Name Is Khan, Alia is a rank newcomer. Even though their first encounter was awkward, things changed when they started reading for the film.

A source says, "Both come from filmy families.

Alia is Mahesh Bhatt's daughter and Varun is David Dhawan's son. They started off by getting to know each other's families.

Also, since Alia is much younger to Varun, he was naturally protective of her. During the narration and first introduction, Varun kept making sure she was comfortable with him."

Both have a common interest in the latest music and movies. "They would often end up discussing the latest TV shows and movies for several hours.

Varun is a chilled out guy and Alia enjoys his company. They have a close group of common friends who they hang around with."

The shoot of the film begins in June and Alia and Varun are making sure they get to know each other better before they face the camera.

"One of the reasons they have been bonding is also to break any ice before the actual shoot begins. The two were spotted together in Bandra a couple of times on their way to scene rehearsals."

(Mid - Day)

Was KJo supposed to make 'A for Apple....'?

Karan Johar's next directorial venture would be 'Student of the Year'. However just before this announcement was made, there was speculation in the air that his movie was supposed to be titled - hold your breath- 'A for Apple, B for Boy, C for Cat'.

"Omigawd, were people really speculating that to be the title of my next movie," said KJo in disbelief when told about the story which had made the rounds.

On being told that this was indeed the case, he laughed uproariously for full one minute before catching hold of his breath.

"Puhleeze, there have been rumours around my films and there would be rumours in months to come as well. But this one is the weirdest of all. Come on, 'A for Apple...'? They can't be serious. Any more of this and K for Karan will definitely go for a toss", he gets cracking here.

Now a rumour like this could possibly have been started by one of those overzealous media types who wanted KJo to blurt out the real name of his next movie. However the smart man would have none of it.

"Well, I would for sure want to meet the person who actually invented this title. Hats off to his/her creativity," smiles Karan before signing off.

Well, we too would want to know more about the source here Karan. After all it isn't everyday that you come across such a title.

(Joginder Tuteja, IndiaGlitz)

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

STUDENT OF THE YEAR : 'K.K.H.H.' meets 'Mohabbatein'?



Pic postted by Karan on Twitter - Johar will be launching Mahesh Bhatt's daughter Alia Bhatt, David Dhawan's son Varun Dhawan and another newcomer Siddharth Malhotra in the movie.

Ever since Shah Rukh Khan and Karan Johar launched their new venture STUDENT OF THE YEAR last week, industry people and even those on social networking websites are busy speculating the plotline of the film. Rumours are rife that the film, which stars three newcomers in the lead, is the present-day version of Karan's own KUCH KUCH HOTA HAI and Aditya Chopra's MOHABBATEIN. But Karan rubbishes the rumours, "Not at all! There's no KUCH KUCH HOTA HAI or MOHABBATEIN in this one. Not a moment, not a dialogue, not a scene. It's a completely new script."

There's talk that SRK will enact a significant role in the film, although the news is being kept under wraps. "Shah Rukh has undertaken the biggest responsibility of producing the film with Dharma [Karan's production house]. It was very magnanimous of Shah Rukh to step forward to produce the film with newcomers. If we don't do it, who will? As far as Shah Rukh's screen appearance is concerned, I wouldn't like to commit anything yet. He has been an integral part of my films and will always be," Karan states.

(Bollywood Hungama )

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Why pile up when you can unfold: Karan Johar

Filmmaker Karan Johar has a New Year resolution. He wants to throw away all kinds of excess baggage in his life.

"My resolution for 2011...get rid of all kinds of excess baggage...emotional and my cluttered closet!!! Why pile up when you can unfold," Johar posted on his Twitter page.

He will hopefully get back to direction in the coming year, and has wished everyone "Big love and happiness in 2011!!!".

(TOI)

Rishi Kapoor back in KJo's 'Agneepath'

Rishi Kapoor is all set to do an important role in Karan Johar's remake of Agneepath.


Rishi's return to the film means that all is now well between Karan and Rishi Kapoor after a spat over the comments Deepika and Sonam made on his casanova son in Koffee With Karan.

Our source said, "Rishi was always supposed to do the role. However after the Deepika-Sonam episode on Koffee With Karan, Rishiji walked out of the film.

He was extremely upset with Karan and thought that he was the one who instigated the girls to make catty remarks on his son Ranbir. Following this controversy Rishi Kapoor walked out of Agneepath. However, during a recent police show, both Karan and Rishi met and when Karan went up to Rishiji everything was fine.

They hugged each other and made up. Now Rishiji is back in the film and the role will be one of the biggest highlights of the film."

In an earlier interview to Mumbai Mirror, Rishi Kapoor had said that he is not going to do Agneepath and that he would not be comfortable. Now all that is the past. Text messages sent to Rishi Kapoor and Karan Johar went unanswered.


(TOI)