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Karan Johar on 'We Are Family'
Express News Service
First Published : 28 Aug 2010 01:49:12 PM IST
Last Updated :
Karan Johar (Pic: ENS) Producer-director Karan Johar gets talking about his latest film, 'We Are Family', his 'children' on the sets and his new role as designer.When you meet Karan Johar, you are assured of a candid and entertaining interview, not to mention many 'off the record' asides. The director-producer and now fashion designer is never short on words or wit, as was seen across the world when he regaled audiences and his guests on 'Koffee with Karan'.The celebrity talk show is headed for a revival, but there's a lot more on Johar's plate right now.After making a dazzling dbut as a fashion designer at Couture Week, Johar will show his more serious side as he continues with his collaboration with fashion designer Varun Bahl to present a prt line at Van Heusen India Men's Fashion Week in Delhi on August 28. And then, following on from the success of 'I Hate Luv Storys', his production house Dharma will release 'We Are Family', starring Kajol, Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal in September.Over to the man who loves his koffee:So finally an official adaptation!
Yes! With 'We Are Family' we have many firsts, including working with first-time director Siddharth Malhotra and we have gone legal on a remake by officially adopting the Hollywood film Stepmom and getting the rights for the Elvis song 'Jailhouse Rock'. I would be open to other legal remakes but only when opportunity knocks. I am not going to go looking for it. There is an art to adaption. Lifting scenes does not make a Hindi film. You have to chop and change scenes.
Would you recommend others in the Indian film industry go the legal route too?
It did take a year of going through legalities but if you like a film and you think you can adapt to an Indian context, then it is better to do so legally rather than try to create your own content, which can sometimes go amok. It can be expensive but it depends on your arrangement.It was Siddharth's idea to adapt the film. I had liked the original. It's an urban, progressive story about relationships, but it's not a trendsetting story. Also, we have brought in a new element in the second half, so our film is not a scene-to-scene remake.
What can you tell us about the performances?
The director has dealt with the kids in a very good way. I am very happy with the tonality and the crisp length (under two hours). This is the shortest Dharma film ever! The first half of 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham' is the entire length of 'We Are Family'. Both the women are great actors; they are instinctive, spontaneous and very on the ball. They get it immediately. Having worked with them in 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham', I know how exciting it is to work with them. However, at that time, Kareena had not yet come into her own as an actor. Now, eight to nine years later, I would say she is a different actor altogether.
You seem to be encouraging first time directors.
Yes, there have been a lot of them. About seven of them are in various films right now. It's like I've got my own Whistling Woods. But I love it. I don't have children at home, so I might as well have them at work. There is good energy which keeps me younger and on my toes. My endeavour has been to widen our production base and make many more films. But what we make depends on who comes into my life, their vision and my instinct.
What else is coming up from Dharma?
We are just starting a film with Imran Khan and Kareena Kapoor to be directed by Shakun Batra. It's a charming film with a new kind of energy.Rumour has it that it is called 'Short Term Shaadi', but it is not. That was just one of the title options, but Shakun hates it. People think that because we are shooting in Las Vegas with a boy and girl and it could have been called 'Short Term Shaadi', that it's a remake of 'What Happens in Vegas'. There is nothing in common between our film and that film. And after going the legal route, why would we do that?Early next year Tarun Mansukhani will shoot 'Dostana 2', then we are adapting our own film 'Agneepath', to be directed by Karan Malhotra, and then Ayaan Mukherjee will direct his next.
What about a Karan Johar film?
I should complain that I do not get enough time to work on my film. Actually, I have just about recovered from 'My Name is Khan'. It takes time for one film to get out of your system and another to settle in. I am finding it tough to write and to find the right tone. I have changed in the last decade and so have my cinema, tonality and syntax.With every film I go through an evolution, whether the world knows it or not. I need to challenge myself. After 'My Name is Khan', I feel I want to make a happy, fun film; go back to a lip synch song. I want people to sing and dance with abandon.
To change tracks, what can we expect from your new collection being shown at Men's Week?
My collaboration with Varun Bahl works because we have a similar style aesthetic and temperament. His designs are wonderfully edgy without being mad. He is great.When we first teamed up for Couture Week his apprehension was 'he's Bollywood; he's going to throw sequins in my face,' which is not what I did. I am half Sindhi, so bling is little bit king, but bling is also queen, so we have to watch it when it comes to men's wear. In this collection we have focused on prt. It's younger, fashion friendly with shorts, casual wear, some jackets, bursts of colour and some interesting prints on shirts and Tshirts. This collection is about me being more of a designer than just someone who loves clothes and hopefully establish how serious we are about taking our brand forward.
How would you describe your sartorial sense?
I wear a lot of black. When in doubt, wear black. When you are two kilos fatter, go black. When you want to cover up those curves, wear black. But it's also laziness - you don't have to think with black. I try to make my evening dressing more formal. I love jackets and I like to dress a little more than required. I like to over-dress. But you will never see me in anything flashy. I am semi-conservative with an element of fashion – either in my shoes or belt or something. There will be some madness in the wardrobe somewhere.There are many things I would love to wear, but I am 38 now and I know I cannot pull it off. All my OTT-ness comes out with winter wear which I love. I love big jackets, sweaters, scarves, shoes. There is a lot you can play with in a winter wardrobe. A summer wardrobe would work if I had a six-pack. Since I don't, I just opt for winter wear because everything gets covered up.
And finally, what will we see in the next season of 'Koffee With Karan'?
We should be on air in October or November on Star World after a gap of 3-4 years. The feedback we have constantly got is that the show is most appreciated as a Bollywood celebrity talk show.People like to hear and see members of the film fraternity talking freely on that sofa. We hope to combine interesting guests in interesting ways and continue with our casual irreverence. Hopefully, the guest will have new enemies, new lovers and new controversies to talk about.
Seher Hone Ko Hai
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