Friends Again...
Karan Johar and Nikhil Advani bury the hatchet. Now, Karan is playing a cameo
Ram Kamal Mukherjee and Kunal M Shah
There's some good news in Bollywood. Karan Johar and Nikhil Advani have buried the hatchet and are friends again. After Kal Ho Naa Ho (produced by Johar and directed by Advani) both had parted ways and were not on talking terms for more than a year. Finally Nikhil had to switch camps and approach Salman Khan for his forthcoming film Salaam-E-Ishq.
However, now the two having patched up. The patch-up started when Nikhil wished to cast Karan in the role of a director in his film Salaam-E-Ishq, a decision that Karan was not averse to either.
"I wrote the role for my film keeping Karan in mind. I wanted a real-life director for the Salman Khan and Priyanka Chopra track in my film," says Nikhil. So how did Karan react when he approached him? "He was amused. I don't remember his exact words. But I remember him smiling and then agreeing to star in my film," he replies.
Was this role an excuse to end the cold war between them? "No, not at all. This is a wonderful cameo and I could not have anyone besides Karan doing it," says Nikhil. So when does he intend to shoot with Karan? "He is busy with Kabhie Alvida Naa Kehna now. Once he's done with that, he will shoot for me," he says.
Confirming the news, Karan says, "Nikhil and I have patched up and there is no bad blood between us any more. Nikhil has been a part of Dharma Productions for eight years. Although he was my assistant during my first film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, I learnt a lot of technicalities from him. Nikhil has a lot of respect for Dharma productions and my family. Even when we fell out, he was always there for me."
So what exactly went wrong? "Our problems were blown out of proportion. When someone leaves a production house, talk about an alleged tiff is inevitable," says Karan. "There was a misunderstanding between us. However, recently we met and cleared the air. In fact, we even partied together."
So, was the make-up easy? "I think we both are mature individuals and have forgotten the past. We are rebuilding our relationship," says Nikhil. "I would give full credit to Karan for this, because he has always supported me. In fact, he called me a year ago to wish me on my birthday. Since then we stayed in touch."
Now, will Nikhil work for Dharma Productions once again? "At the moment I am busy with Salaam-E-Ishq. God willing, we will work together again," he says. Meanwhile, Karan reserves comment about his impending cameo in Salaam-E-Ishq. "Nikhil has intimated me about a role he has in mind for me but it's too early to say anything now," says Karan. "We have to finalise details."
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