StudentOfTheYear UPD Interviews/Pics - Page 3

Karan Johar's upcoming Student of the Year features three fresh newcomers in the lead roles. Two come from film backgrounds Alia Bhatt, who is the daughter of writer-director Mahesh Bhatt and Varun Dhawan, who is the son of director David Dhawan. Their co-star is model turned actor Siddharth Malhotra, who is completely new to the film world.

Karan brought Alia (AB), Varun (VD) and Siddharth (SM) to London ahead of the films release to introduce his rising stars to the world and to this great city. Despite the miserable weather and cold they had picked up, BollySpice managed to give a very warm welcome to the young actors.

This film is a dream debut for you all, what are your thoughts ahead of the release?

AB: A few years ago I did a marathon viewing of Karan Johar films. I then turned to my sister and said Karan Johar does not launch new comers does he? To which she replied "no he only works with movie stars". Nineteen days ahead of the films release, here I am! So it has been a great experience and at the moment we are so nervous!

SM: None of us thought we would get this chance and we may not ever again. It will be very stupid if we spoil it for ourselves. We are extremely lucky. Karan put his money where his mouth is, everyone says they want to work with new actors but usually do not.

VD: It is something I could never have dreamed of. The canvas and to be launched by such a film maker in your first film is unbelievable. I just hope we can live up to it.

How did you all end up with your roles?

AB: I was basically at school and was called in to meet Karan. I was three times my size then and he just asked me to do an audition. I danced to Bahara Bahara (I Hate Luv Stories) and a week two later Karan called me and said that I needed to lose some weight if I wanted to do this film. I did not know then that he was directing it. I just knew that there were two boys in the film. About three months later and sixteen kilos lighter, we were doing a photoshoot and Karan saw me in a shot with the boys and said – that's my cast!

SM: Varun and I were assistant directors to Karan (My Name Is Khan) and we used to stand in for Shah Rukh and Kajol for shot set ups. That is where Karan saw us on the monitor and considered whether we would be good in front of the camera in the future. After the film he called us for an audition. We did not initially know he would direct the film, but after seeing the photo shoots he ended up directing it!

VD: Exactly the same process for me as Siddharth, first assisting Karan and now being directed by him.

Could you tell us a bit about the characters you are playing the film?

AB: I play Shanaya Singhania. She comes from an affluent family. She loves her clothes, her shoes and her bags. Getting ready in the morning is the highlight of her day. She comes from a bit of dysfunctional family as well, so she does tend to get a bit lonely, but she basically wants a person who can love her unconditionally.

SM: I play Abhimanyu Singh. He is the new guy in school. He is on a scholarship. He is an athlete. He is very ambitious and focused. He wants to win the 'Student of the year' competition. He meets and befriends all the main characters. His issues with them and how he resolves them, is what he goes through in the film.

VD: I play Rohan Nanda. My father in the film is a multi-millionaire tycoon and I do not see eye to eye with him. Rohan has always been more inclined towards music and more towards sport and does not pay that much attention to towards his studies. He happens to meet Siddharth's character and then it is about how his life changes for the better or worse.

As friendship is such a big part of the story, how well did you get on with each other during the film?

AB: For me initially I was very nervous. But now both of them are such special boys to me and I don't think I'll ever have that fondness for anybody. It is special, as it is our first film.

SM: Since I Varun and I were assistant directors together we were training for this film from then. We travelled to the States together and stayed in the same apartment together. We have even been scolded by the first assistant director together. We have gone through the whole 'beats' together and I think that has helped us a lot for Student of the Year.

What kind of students were you at college and any similarities with your characters in the film?

AB: For me I just passed out of school and then we started this film. So it was like a trip down memory lane for me. But of course none of us dressed like this at school, especially me. I did not know what heels were until I started shooting!

SM: I was a really bad student, but I did not go to a school like this at all. The facade is not real, but the relationships were. There was a lot of competition – especially around studying.

VD: I have always loved the films and even when I was at college a song would always be playing in my head. But even in my dreams I never imagined a school like this, so when you see the film you will think wow – that's a Karan Johar school!

What's your favorite Karan Johar film:

AB: Kuch Kuch Hota Hai

SM: Kuch Kuch Hota Hai!

VD: Kuch Kuch Hota Hai!!

A question for each of you:

Alia – The Bhatt family has a particular approach to films and a successful brand, which is different from Dharma Productions. What advice did you receive from your family and how different is this experience to the films your family makes?

I was not really ever involved in my father's films. I would watch his films much like I would watch any other films. With regards to advice, during the filming he left me on my own, so that I could learn from my own mistakes. I had no experience of acting previously and I was so raw that I was learning at every step. The advice he gave me generally was that the best way to be a part of the film industry is to not be a part of the film industry. He always tells me not to lose myself in the crowd, not to drain all my energy and not to smile too much!

And your favorite film by your father?

Zakhm

Varun – Your father is the King of Comedy, again with a very different style of cinema, so how does this compare to working with Karan Johar?

I come from a family where my father makes films. Every film has a story of its own and every director has his own vision and I have been a big fan of Karan. My brother is an even bigger diehard fan of Karan. I have grown up on Karan's films equally. The only thing I know with my dad being a director is that every film comes with a script, story and character of it's own. So today we are competing on a global level, so you go in and you play your character best you can and are there to entertain the audience. Just because this is my first film I do not think the audience will be so forgiving. I just hope that people like it.

Siddharth – There have been quite a few unconventional launches for young actors (Company, Ishaqzaade) so how does this compare for you as a launch pad? If you had a chance for a different type of launch, what would you choose?

This is a dream launch. W are better off with this launch. It is not entirely glossy and fun, it also has an emotional grain in the film. So far you all have only seen the songs, so you don't really see it, but I'm sure when 19th October comes you will realise that it is not all fun and games. We feel very privileged and lucky and I think it is one of the best launches that anyone has had in the history of Bollywood.

Student of the Year releases worldwide on 19th October. Make sure you check out our exclusive video on our YouTube channel.

Karan Johar is back with yet again a very different film. Having done romance, family drama and serious cinema, his next film is Student of the Year, a youthful joyride through college years. His first film without close friend Shahrukh, this time Karan is working with and launching three newcomers, for the first time in his career. BollySpice caught up with Karan, or KJo as he is popularly referred to, in London where he brought his cast down to introduce them to our great city and to the Brit-Asian media.

Can you tell us about Student of the Year (SOTY) in your own words?
SOTY is a quintessential high school film and has a strong layer of relationships and friendships. It will remind you of the days that went by and those of you who have passed their prime like I have! It is a film about friendship and male bonding and those are some of the most precious relationships. This film is a joy ride, you will come out smiling, rather than crying! I felt young making it, so I hope everyone that is not young, will feel young watching it and those that are young will feel in the zone!

The CEO of my company is my childhood friend who I have know since the 5th standard, which is like thirty years now and more than friendship he is like family to me. So that is what I wanted to show on celluloid – a friendship that no matter what it went through, it lasted. When you watch this film I know you will think about, Facebook, text, or want to Tweet a friend.

How was the experience of working with newcomers?
This is a really special film for us at Dharma Productions. It is the only film with which we have launched completely new talent. We have introduced seven new actors, three of whom are our main leads. Each one of them is different from the other. Of the leads two of them have film lineage and one of them is from a completely non-film background. This film was more impulse than calculation. It was a spur of the moment decision. This was actually a film I wanted to produce and not direct. I wanted one of the guys in my company to make it. At one point I just thought why am I giving this to someone else? Yes the film is very simple narrative, it is not path breaking, in terms of soul – yes it has it. In terms of presentation – yes it has that. I have made a serious film (My Name Is Khan), but for me cinema is escapism and this (SOTY) is fun and fabulous.

Is it a risk casting and directing a film with three rank newcomers?
Nothing ventured, nothing gained! Taking risks is imperative when you are in certain positions. Playing safe is the easy way out, but taking a different route altogether is definitely more challenging and therefore satisfying. Launching new talent is something all people in the industry in certain positions should do. We are really short on acting talent. We have eight to ten movie stars that are in every big feature film. I needed to challenge myself and take one step ahead as a filmmaker. This time not in terms of content, but in taking on newcomers.

What were the qualities which made you cast your actors?
Varun and Sidharth I sussed out on MNIK, as they used to stand in for Shahrukh and Kajol. Both these boys had what I felt was the x-factor, as not all good looking people look good on camera and have screen presence. After a series of readings, I realised that these boys were right. They bring a certain kind of vulnerability mixed with talent and that combination never fails in the movies. Alia was made for films! She is a full Hindi film actress. She has Kareena Kapoor's sole somewhere in her. She suddenly becomes like her sister Pooja at times, but also has this impish Preity ZInta quality.

Are you nervous about the success of the film?
I am as nervous as any film of mine. With this one there is no ballpark comparison. There is no estimate anyone can make . We have made it in a scale that would warrant the presence of movie stars but with new talent. We have pulled out all the stops and have done everything so it is positioned as a large movie experience. So yes, the nerves are high, but the excitement is even higher! When you work with first time actors you feed off their energy and excitement. It is like graduation day for them.

What are your expectations from the box office?
Well look at a film like Barfi, it is going to touch 100 crores. No one ever anticipated that, no one ever believed it would happen, but it is not about that. I believe a film has to last.. What is 100 crores if its not going to last forever? Today I think a film like Kahaani or Vicky Donor will live longer than a lot of 100 or 200 crore films. Taking nothing away from those 100 crore films and my Agneepath was one of them, which I am very proud of, but there are still some gems, like Udaan, which did only 3 crores at the box office. I feel it one of the most genius films I've ever seen and it was made in a miniscule budget. It has such a tiny budget but has such an immensely huge heart! So as film makers you know when a film is loved and that is what is important. Box office is just a number and cinema lives beyond numbers.

You previously represented college years in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (KKHH), so how has college life changed in 15 years with SOTY?
College life has completely changed. This generation is so clued in. I can not even pretend to know, so it is very challenging for me. It is a completely different world to KKHH, I did glam up the college institution (Saint Theresa), as of course nothing in real life looks like that. What was imperative though, was that we kept the soul and the connect to the characters. While they are all glossed up, because that is the way I like it unapologetically, but we will try to do that aesthetically to keep the characters and their situations very rooted, things that you will identify with.

Sport has always been a feature of all your films, how important is sport to you?
Sport is something I know nothing about, but somehow I end up putting sport into all of my films and I am the most unsporty person you will meet! Cricket in K3G, American Football in Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, Basketball in KKHH and now a triathlon in SOTY. To me ESPN doesn't exist as a channel, so I do not know why I keep integrating sport into my films. I think it is something subliminal. I remember in KKHH I kept saying "And then score the goal", but Shah Rukh took me aside and said "It's not called a goal, that is football and this is basketball!' In the end he actually directed the sequence, so we credited him with it.

K3G opened with a cricket scene and Nikhil Advani, my assistant said "It's the last ball and the last over, so the ball can't be shiny and Hrithik Roshan's kit can't be so white, it's not real!" I responded "Are you mad? It's the first shot of the film and Hrithik is the hero of the film and I never said I was making a real film!" But this time round for the triathlon we got a professional from America to come and shoot that part, as honestly I did not know what I was doing.The triathlon has been extensively shot over a period of 12 days. As a filmmaker you do not have to know everything, you just have to be honest about your limitations.

Your last film was a strong issue based film (MNIK) and this is a more typical Bollywood film. How does your mindset change given the extremes of the opposing genres?
Every film one directs is a result of your state of mind. So freshly out of college: heartbreak, first love, puppy love – all defined my debut endeavour (KKHH) and I met with success, thankfully. I felt very reverent towards my parents for making me the man I am and providing me with that emotional confidence, so I made a film next (K3G) which was an ode to families and my parents, to show my gratitude. Following that there was a cool revolution in Indian cinema – Dil Chahta Hai had made a big mark with the urban youth and I felt that I should also attempt to, as demographically I was also from that zone, so I felt that I should write a film that was also high on it's 'cool' factor. So I wrote and produced Kal Ho Na Ho. After that I lost my father and went into reflective mode and in that reflective mode I met lots of people and heard about their failed relationships and how marriage was taking a beating and that divorce was the new marriage and I decided to attempt a film about inter-relationships, divorce, infidelity. So I wrote and directed Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna.

After that I felt as a filmmaker I had provided entertainment for both the national and diaspora audience, but I never felt I had tackled a global issue, I had never dealt with a social situation and felt very strongly about the misrepresentation of religion and how it can be misconstrued and held against humanity and there was born the idea of MNIK because being a filmmaker I felt accountable to society and to human beings by and large. That took a heavy toll on my emotionally because it was a heavy experience for me as a person.

So I felt I needed to make my 'holiday film' go back to song and dance and glamour, glitz and glory. To go back to school and college where we build some of our most special relationships and that is how SOTY was born. I felt that if I did not take new talent then I was not leveraging the position that I had built over the last fifteen to sixteen years. I call this my resort film, my happy holiday film, but even on holiday you have your quiet and reflective moments, which will also happen with SOTY. You will go through the energy of an entertainer but somewhere at the end of the film you will go back into reflective mode and it will make you believe that there is nothing more important than the relationships we build in our lifetimes.

Karan Johar dancing with actors Siddharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt as they promote their upcoming film 'Student of The Year' in Jaipur. (PTI)