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INTERVIEW with Karan Johar
You have been a huge fan of Yash Chopra movies. Today people await a
Karan Johar movie with the same eagerness. How does it feel?
For a person who never imagined that he would make movies and who is
a great admirer of Yash Chopra, it is very flattering to hear that
people actually wait for my movies. As a kid, when others used to
rave about movies like Amar Akbar Anthony and Deewar, I enjoyed
Silsila and Kabhi Kabhie, which had a blend of grandeur and human
emotions. My movies have that quintessential human touch. Yes, the
setting is unreal. That's because I believe that a movie should be
cinematic. Reality is what you come home to, while a movie should
give you complete entertainment for three hours.
So what makes a Karan Johar movie?
Well this whole idea of a Karan Johar movie is quite intriguing; it's
almost like a brand attached to the movie. It is said in a negative
as well as a positive manner. When any of my movies release I get a
lot of mail, of which 70 per cent are praises while 30 per cent
go 'God not another gooey emotion-filled Karan Johar movie!' I have
to take praise and criticism equally.
You are afraid of being stereotyped as a director who makes feel-good
movies, which is why a theme like infidelity in Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna?
I never generalised my work, everybody else did. I am just three
movies old. How can anybody talk about my movies following a certain
pattern? This is only media terminology and slotting.
But the media has given you your share of praises.
Absolutely. I am a media-savvy person and I have deep regard for
them. In fact had I not been a film-maker, I would have been a
journalist or a film critic.
My movies have several commonalities-SRK, foreign locations,
elaborate sets. But my people are always different. My Rahul in Kuch
Kuch Hota Hai is different from my Rahul in Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham
who is different from my Dev Saran in Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna.
Some scenes in KANK are my most restrained pieces of work. Earlier I
wanted to cater to an audience and acquire a certain status. But now
I am more at ease. My movies are about emotions and relationships. As
far as my style of movie making is concerned I am not in the least
apologetic about it. In fact, I am proud.
Directorial licence?
Not licence, I call it escapism. Indian cinema is the only one in the
world which allows you to do that and I love it.
Bollywood has been criticised for its lack of characterisation.
Yes, lack of characterisation is one of the biggest flaws of Hindi
movies and I am also guilty of having fallen into this trap.
Characterisation is critical for the narrative. This time I have
taken much more care. I feel, as young film-makers, we should take
care of details. The west is looking at us and the least we can do is
this to make our films on par with international films.
Screenplay structuring is another area we lack, but we are getting
there. Films like Rang De Basanti and Lagaan are movies I recommend
to anybody who has not seen a single Hindi film. They make me proud
as an Indian; they are so perfect in every department. My movies are
not like that, mine is escapist entertaining cinema.
You produced Kaal, which had a different subject. It was not a great
success. Now KANK, doesn't it unnerve you that you are on unfamiliar
terrain once more?
Kaal had some inherent narrative weaknesses, but KANK is a conscious
effort to do something special. KANK is my take on modern marriages.
Problems in marriages are as common as the flu nowadays. My
characters are human with feelings and emotions, grey or otherwise.
People accuse me of making movies for the NRI crowd. Why should I do
that? I believe in making movies with urban themes, but that's
because I have grown up with urban sensibilities. Hence I am most
comfortable making such movies. Emotions don't vary from Bihar to New
York. My movies are made for anybody from either of these places. Yes
I market them abroad, but that is to get more eyeballs and sales.
When I make a movie it is for an Indian.
What's the pow-wow with Ram Gopal Varma about?
There is none seriously. I respect him as a film-maker and I only
wish he would keep me out of his interviews. I am sure he has better
work to do, he has a factory to run and I have a company.
You have been a huge fan of Yash Chopra movies. Today people await a
Karan Johar movie with the same eagerness. How does it feel?
For a person who never imagined that he would make movies and who is
a great admirer of Yash Chopra, it is very flattering to hear that
people actually wait for my movies. As a kid, when others used to
rave about movies like Amar Akbar Anthony and Deewar, I enjoyed
Silsila and Kabhi Kabhie, which had a blend of grandeur and human
emotions. My movies have that quintessential human touch. Yes, the
setting is unreal. That's because I believe that a movie should be
cinematic. Reality is what you come home to, while a movie should
give you complete entertainment for three hours.
So what makes a Karan Johar movie?
Well this whole idea of a Karan Johar movie is quite intriguing; it's
almost like a brand attached to the movie. It is said in a negative
as well as a positive manner. When any of my movies release I get a
lot of mail, of which 70 per cent are praises while 30 per cent
go 'God not another gooey emotion-filled Karan Johar movie!' I have
to take praise and criticism equally.
You are afraid of being stereotyped as a director who makes feel-good
movies, which is why a theme like infidelity in Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna?
I never generalised my work, everybody else did. I am just three
movies old. How can anybody talk about my movies following a certain
pattern? This is only media terminology and slotting.
But the media has given you your share of praises.
Absolutely. I am a media-savvy person and I have deep regard for
them. In fact had I not been a film-maker, I would have been a
journalist or a film critic.
My movies have several commonalities-SRK, foreign locations,
elaborate sets. But my people are always different. My Rahul in Kuch
Kuch Hota Hai is different from my Rahul in Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham
who is different from my Dev Saran in Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna.
Some scenes in KANK are my most restrained pieces of work. Earlier I
wanted to cater to an audience and acquire a certain status. But now
I am more at ease. My movies are about emotions and relationships. As
far as my style of movie making is concerned I am not in the least
apologetic about it. In fact, I am proud.
Directorial licence?
Not licence, I call it escapism. Indian cinema is the only one in the
world which allows you to do that and I love it.
Bollywood has been criticised for its lack of characterisation.
Yes, lack of characterisation is one of the biggest flaws of Hindi
movies and I am also guilty of having fallen into this trap.
Characterisation is critical for the narrative. This time I have
taken much more care. I feel, as young film-makers, we should take
care of details. The west is looking at us and the least we can do is
this to make our films on par with international films.
Screenplay structuring is another area we lack, but we are getting
there. Films like Rang De Basanti and Lagaan are movies I recommend
to anybody who has not seen a single Hindi film. They make me proud
as an Indian; they are so perfect in every department. My movies are
not like that, mine is escapist entertaining cinema.
You produced Kaal, which had a different subject. It was not a great
success. Now KANK, doesn't it unnerve you that you are on unfamiliar
terrain once more?
Kaal had some inherent narrative weaknesses, but KANK is a conscious
effort to do something special. KANK is my take on modern marriages.
Problems in marriages are as common as the flu nowadays. My
characters are human with feelings and emotions, grey or otherwise.
People accuse me of making movies for the NRI crowd. Why should I do
that? I believe in making movies with urban themes, but that's
because I have grown up with urban sensibilities. Hence I am most
comfortable making such movies. Emotions don't vary from Bihar to New
York. My movies are made for anybody from either of these places. Yes
I market them abroad, but that is to get more eyeballs and sales.
When I make a movie it is for an Indian.
What's the pow-wow with Ram Gopal Varma about?
There is none seriously. I respect him as a film-maker and I only
wish he would keep me out of his interviews. I am sure he has better
work to do, he has a factory to run and I have a company.
Anupamaa
Health and Fitness
8