He's grown up in the city but his films have all been set far away from it. He's faced the problems that its residents grouse about daily, and still insists on viewing Bombay through rose-tinted glasses. He knows the name is Mumbai now but insists that "you can't change the name of a family member, can you?" Karan Johar waxes eloquent on the "Bombay" he knows...and loves...
For me the city has always been divided into two distinct parts—North and South. South Bombay was where I grew up. In an apartment on Malabar Hills where I woke up every morning to the city's skyline...It was still with me in the evening when I sat down to study or watch television. I guess, because there were just three of us—dad, mom and me—Bombay became a part of my family too. I woke up to her, she surrounded me all day and I slept with her. She was there with me... by me...around me all the time... I never travelled to the other end of town when I was growing up so my memories of Bombay are all of Marine Drive, Marine Lines and Nariman Point. When in college I would take a bus from Kamla Nehru Park or Hanging Gardens as it is more popularly known, to Churchgate. On the way we would pass a lot of parks. I still get emotional when I drive past them today. We never spoke about the traffic those days. There was some talk of the pollution but for me Bombay has always been a pretty place. I was this South Bombay kid who was born and brought up in the lap of luxury. It was only when I started working that I was forced to make trips to Juhu and Andheri. It would take me hours to commute. That's when I really began to face all those problems the city has become infamous for. But even today Bombay's still a city I love coming back to everytime I go away somewhere. It's my home. For me nothing can take away her spirit and her energy. I'm very sensitive to vibes. Everytime I walk into someone's place or office I sense an energy that can make me feel optimistic or pessimistic. People come to this city from all over the country with hopes of making something of their life. Not all their dreams are fulfilled but they live on in the hope that tomorrow will be better. It's all this hope around that gives the city its positivity. I feel happy in every corner of Bombay...
I've shot in studios here but never on the streets of Bombay. So as a filmmaker I have never "experienced" Bombay. I'd like to some day because I know my Bombay will be very different from what has been projected on film so far. It won't be the stark, almost surreal, Bombay of Ram Gopal Varma's films. Nor the effective backdrop it is to a film like Rohan Sippy's Bluffmaster. My Bombay will be stunning...glamorous... because I've always viewed the city through rose-tinted glasses. I've not only glossed over her negative points all these years, I've also been strangely distanced from her in her times of crisis. Yes, I lived through the 1992 riots but living in South Bombay I never knew the horrors that one read of. Even during last year's 26/7 deluge I was away shooting in New York. I want to be around the next time my Bombay needs me because I want to give back some of what she's given me in all these years. It's payback time now!
Kal Ho Naa Ho was based in new York. Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna was also shot there. This may surprise many but there're a lot of similarities between Bombay and the Big Apple. Both have stunning skylines...bad traffic...are noisy and crowded cities pulsating with super energy. Everyone in New York is in a hurry. It's the same with Mumbaikars. The vibes are almost identical...
I'm sure you must have been dying all this while to remind me that Bombay is Mumbai now. I know that's the teriminology in use today but it's difficult for me to refer to this city as anything other than Bombay. She's my home...a family member...And you don't change the name of your family member, do you?
Hindi TV Shows
Advocate Anjali Awasthi
Noyontara
Kumkum Bhagya
Current Affairs
2