Star Vs Genre

A comment From KB made me think about this question, how important is star and how important is the genre of the movie? In times where uto 50 of the earnings of a movie are made in its opening week, ex:

Movie--------Opening---Final-----Opening %
MNIK--------29.5-------73-------42
MP-----------10.5-------28-------35
Wanted-------17.0-------61-------28
Love Aaj Kal-28---------67-------42
Raajneeti-----34---------93-------36
Ghajini-------30--------115-------26

Bridge that missing link - i.e. show advance previews to press!!

Absence of advance screenings of Bollywood films leave journalists in US with no option but to accept PR material and work on them

Aseem Chhabra

Two weeks ago a group of journalists, gathered at Cisco’s office space in Manhattan for the global press day for Mani Ratnam’s Raavan. Using a new technology Tele-Presence, Cisco connected the film’s director and actors with journalists in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Dubai and New York.


I walked into the small conference room and was blown away with the new technology. I have participated in video conference calls, but this was remarkable. We sat facing three giant screens. Abhishek and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan were in Mumbai in the middle screen, while Ratnam and Vikram were in Chennai on the left. More important, the technology had erased the distances. It seemed as if the stars and the other journalists were in the same room, right in front of us.

Cisco’s Tele-Presence press conference for Raavan in New York
Maria Giovanna

There was a lot of friendly banter with general questions, such as whether the Bachchans discuss work when they get home or what was it like working with Ratnam? Finally one reporter asked Ratnam “What is Raavan about?” Ratnam’s response was “Haven’t you seen the preview?” Yes, the reporter had seen the preview, but nobody had seen the film, which explained the mostly superficial conversation.

Bollywood production houses do not hold advance screenings of their films and it is somewhat understandable. There is a concern that bloggers and others who moonlight as critics on social media sites may post negative reviews and thereby ruin a film’s chance of finding its audience in its opening weekend.

But that is where the production houses have to work at winning the confidence of journalists. In the US the concept of review embargoes works as film journalists almost always respect the guidelines. In fact, most PR firms insist that reporters have to attend the advance screenings before they can interview the film-makers. It helps the level of reporting, especially the feature articles that focus on film-making.

Lately more and more Bollywood stars and film-makers are travelling to New York to promote their films, but at each situation reporters accept the general public relations material that is fed to them. There is a lot of excitement having a star like Shah Rukh Khan or Hrithik Roshan in our presence, but no reporter is prepared to ask specific questions about how and why certain scenes were written, acted, directed or shot.

There is access to Bollywood personalities in India and also here and yet there is hardly any intelligent conversation. The general discourse on Bollywood cinema is missing. Perhaps the producers and distributors like to keep the mystery about their films, but ultimately the audience loses out.

Last year Nikhil Advani told the press in New York that the soul of Chandni Chowk to China lay in the interactions between Mithun Chakraborty and Akshay Kumar. That evening I attended the film’s premiere – the first screening of CCTC and was surprised as I recounted Advani’s claims. The scenes between Chakraborty and Kumar were flat, lacking any emotional punch. I would have liked to talk further with Advani about the film he claimed was going to be the first crossover hit. But after the screening he was not available to the press.

There are some film personalities who continue talking about their films after the release. Karan Johar does not get tired sending out weekly Twitter updates that MNIK is doing well in various international markets. But that is a rare example. At the Raavan press day, Abhishek was exuberantly chatting with the reporters, but in the aftermath of the film’s debacle at the box office, he disappeared for a few days from Twitter, leaving his father to defend the film.

This week I received a screening invite for director Anusha Rizvi’s Peepli Live from a New York-based PR firm. Aamir Khan will be in New York in late July to talk to the press. The screening will enable journalists to have an open conversation with Khan about the film, his role as a producer and the reasons why he backed Peepli Live. It should only help the film as well as the audience.

LINK

Bridge that missing link - i.e. show advance previews to press!!

Absence of advance screenings of Bollywood films leave journalists in US with no option but to accept PR material and work on them

Aseem Chhabra

Two weeks ago a group of journalists, gathered at Cisco’s office space in Manhattan for the global press day for Mani Ratnam’s Raavan. Using a new technology Tele-Presence, Cisco connected the film’s director and actors with journalists in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Dubai and New York.


I walked into the small conference room and was blown away with the new technology. I have participated in video conference calls, but this was remarkable. We sat facing three giant screens. Abhishek and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan were in Mumbai in the middle screen, while Ratnam and Vikram were in Chennai on the left. More important, the technology had erased the distances. It seemed as if the stars and the other journalists were in the same room, right in front of us.

Cisco’s Tele-Presence press conference for Raavan in New York
Maria Giovanna

There was a lot of friendly banter with general questions, such as whether the Bachchans discuss work when they get home or what was it like working with Ratnam? Finally one reporter asked Ratnam “What is Raavan about?” Ratnam’s response was “Haven’t you seen the preview?” Yes, the reporter had seen the preview, but nobody had seen the film, which explained the mostly superficial conversation.

Bollywood production houses do not hold advance screenings of their films and it is somewhat understandable. There is a concern that bloggers and others who moonlight as critics on social media sites may post negative reviews and thereby ruin a film’s chance of finding its audience in its opening weekend.

But that is where the production houses have to work at winning the confidence of journalists. In the US the concept of review embargoes works as film journalists almost always respect the guidelines. In fact, most PR firms insist that reporters have to attend the advance screenings before they can interview the film-makers. It helps the level of reporting, especially the feature articles that focus on film-making.

Lately more and more Bollywood stars and film-makers are travelling to New York to promote their films, but at each situation reporters accept the general public relations material that is fed to them. There is a lot of excitement having a star like Shah Rukh Khan or Hrithik Roshan in our presence, but no reporter is prepared to ask specific questions about how and why certain scenes were written, acted, directed or shot.

There is access to Bollywood personalities in India and also here and yet there is hardly any intelligent conversation. The general discourse on Bollywood cinema is missing. Perhaps the producers and distributors like to keep the mystery about their films, but ultimately the audience loses out.

Last year Nikhil Advani told the press in New York that the soul of Chandni Chowk to China lay in the interactions between Mithun Chakraborty and Akshay Kumar. That evening I attended the film’s premiere – the first screening of CCTC and was surprised as I recounted Advani’s claims. The scenes between Chakraborty and Kumar were flat, lacking any emotional punch. I would have liked to talk further with Advani about the film he claimed was going to be the first crossover hit. But after the screening he was not available to the press.

There are some film personalities who continue talking about their films after the release. Karan Johar does not get tired sending out weekly Twitter updates that MNIK is doing well in various international markets. But that is a rare example. At the Raavan press day, Abhishek was exuberantly chatting with the reporters, but in the aftermath of the film’s debacle at the box office, he disappeared for a few days from Twitter, leaving his father to defend the film.

This week I received a screening invite for director Anusha Rizvi’s Peepli Live from a New York-based PR firm. Aamir Khan will be in New York in late July to talk to the press. The screening will enable journalists to have an open conversation with Khan about the film, his role as a producer and the reasons why he backed Peepli Live. It should only help the film as well as the audience.

LINK

'MNIK is highest grossing Hindi film outside India'

Karan Johar, one of the most successful directors in India [ Images ] with all the four films directed by him starting with Kuch Kuch Hota Hai [ Images ] in 1998 is a super hit, was in America recently for the launch of the international edition of his biggest, My Name Is Khan.

But directing films is one of his several passions, he says. "I like to see directors and writers get a break through the films I produce," he says.

Though the films directed or produced by him have featured some of the best known artists in India including Amitabh Bachchan [ Images ] and his son Abishek, it is his association with Shah Rukh Khan [ Images ], who is there in the lead in all four films directed by him, has made movie history.

"When Karan says he has a film for me, I don't even ask for the script," Shah Rukh has said.

When My Name Is Khan opened over two months ago, there were some people and trade analysts in India who wrote that it had collapsed in the second week.

The film has grossed over $39 million worldwide; it is the highest grossing Hindi film outside India. We may reach $40 million. It is doing great as a DVD despite piracy in India. We have added over 20 minutes of deleted scenes.

Much of its success came from abroad.

Yes but it is also a huge hit in India. It was particularly strong in the United Kingdom grossing over $4 million. In fact, in the United Kingdom the three top-grossing films are directed by me.

MNIK did better business in the UK than 3 Idiots. And MNIK is still running in more than 100 theatres worldwide. We have just opened the international director's cut in America targeted at the non-diasporic audiences in America, showing the film first in New York and Los Angeles, and if it does well, expanding it to other cities.

What is the big difference between the director's cut and the standard edition?

[Chuckles] Fox Searchlight (the international distributor for the film) has edited out nearly half an hour from the original and they have done an excellent job. I was fully aware of the process and I was pleased to see the new version. Brevity may not be my forte. It is theirs.

Going back to India and the performance of MNIK there ...

We are surprised that it did beyond our expectations. This is not the usual masala film. This is not even a typical Karan Johar [ Images ] film. It is more thought provoking and deeply psychological film than anything I have done before. As I have said before, making this film make me grow more as a person than ever before.

What did Fox Searchlight do to this film that an Indian distributor could not do in the foreign markets?

Because of its vast network, Fox was able to show this film in the best of the theatres worldwide from Canada [ Images ] to Poland to Indonesia. Even in countries where Indian films are very popular but not well distributed, Fox did a remarkable job. From Egypt [ Images ] to Jordan to Malaysia, the film has performed strongly to a large extent because of the Fox distribution strategy and its ability to engage leading film writers in various countries to run stories on My Name Is Khan.

What are some of the territories have surprised you?

Indonesia, in particular. If a Hindi language film grossed about $75,000 there, it is considered excellent but our film struck a chord, and it became a sleeper hit grossing over $1.6 million.

In many Muslim countries, people were moved by what this film is trying to do: to remove a generalized, stereotype depiction of a religion. But extension, it speaks for any religion that is misunderstood an vilified. It offers a human message and it touches your heart.

I believe the film is enjoying a good run in Poland.

It grossed about $75,000 in its first week which is very good for a territory like Poland. I believe the second week is even stronger.

Playing a devil's advocate. Why would anyone care to see your film in Poland which has no history of watching Hindi films in big numbers?

My Name Is Khan is about humanity. It is a film about times and unfolds against the background of today's headlines. But above all, it is a film about the triumphant of goodness.

Are you working with Fox soon?

Right now I don't have any project but who knows what could happen tomorrow? Fox welcomed Dharma Productions and me as if we were family members. And surely if there is a project that interests a Hollywood studio, Fox would welcome us again.

Dharma has given a break to many directors

That is our pride. Last year we made Wake Up Sid [ Images ] directed by Ayan Mukherjee. Soon we have Punit Malhotra-directed I Hate Love Stories with Imran Khan [ Images ] and Sonam in release. I believe it is a sweet and funny film.

What is I Hate Love Stories about?

It is about this guy who hates Hindi movie love stories. But he can't believe that many things that happen in these films are happening to him in real life. And the movie becomes a quintessential love story.

I believe Sonam Kapoor [ Images ] is a luminous artist, the Waheeda Rehman [ Images ] of our generation but she hasn't yet got her due...

I hope our film will give her more exposure and success. She comes from an illustrious family and has firm values. And then there is also an excellent actress/

You don't shy away from discussing your hits and flops. What do you think went wrong with Kurbaan [ Images ] which was also the first film directed by Rensil D'Silva?

It came soon after another film dealing with the aftermath of terrorism in America was released and became a hit. Though Kurbaan was different from that film, still the audiences were hesitant to go and see it. Perhaps we should not have given it a wide release like showing it in over 300 theatres in the first week. The film might have worked better had the word of mouth had time to grow.

You have also said that as a producer you too take personal responsibility for the film's failure.

I feel that I wrongly projected the sexual violence as opposed to the emotional violence of the story. And yet the failure of the film surprised all of us. We still hear from people, not only in India but also in the Middle East, America and the United Kingdom who loved the film. But over all, the film did not take off.

What else have you learned from the reaction to Kurbaan?

I believe it is more important to accept the failure of a film than accept a success. For from failure, you learn a few things. But I also believe that one should never let a failure change one's outlook, as long as it was a credible failure, and Kurbaan was one such film; never to let the failure eat into your heart. We are proud of the way the film was shaped.

What else among Dharma Productions movies would you consider an honourable failure?

More than two decades ago my father (Yash Johar) produced Agneepath which did not do well. It was also a credible failure. Dharma productions soon launched another film. There was no time to mourn the failure. I always remember my father's attitude.

Amitabh Bachchan speaks very proudly of the film, and recites dialogue from it at his live shows?

Yes, he has told us again and again how dear the film is to him. And that is one of the reasons he has continued working with us.

People still remember your father decades after working with him, and many years after his death. Waheeda Rehman speaks about him as they are still friends.

My father was the production manager on Dev Anand's [ Images ] Guide (one of the best-known films starring Waheeda and made in the late 1960s). He played an important role in making the film what it is.

You have spent quite some time in recent years writing stories for films directed by others for Dharma Productions. When are you going to direct your own project.

I would say, soon, say after a few months. But I don't have any subject in my mind. I am using my sojourn in America to think about my next.

What kind of film are you inclined to make?

I think it would be a fun-filled film. It does not also have to be a film with many stars. But who knows? Beyond that I do not have any clue what the film is going to be, and where it would be made.

Arthur J Pais in New York
http://movies.rediff.com/interview/2010/may/12/karan-johar-gets-candid.htm

'MNIK is highest grossing Hindi film outside India'

Karan Johar, one of the most successful directors in India [ Images ] with all the four films directed by him starting with Kuch Kuch Hota Hai [ Images ] in 1998 is a super hit, was in America recently for the launch of the international edition of his biggest, My Name Is Khan.

But directing films is one of his several passions, he says. "I like to see directors and writers get a break through the films I produce," he says.

Though the films directed or produced by him have featured some of the best known artists in India including Amitabh Bachchan [ Images ] and his son Abishek, it is his association with Shah Rukh Khan [ Images ], who is there in the lead in all four films directed by him, has made movie history.

"When Karan says he has a film for me, I don't even ask for the script," Shah Rukh has said.

When My Name Is Khan opened over two months ago, there were some people and trade analysts in India who wrote that it had collapsed in the second week.

The film has grossed over $39 million worldwide; it is the highest grossing Hindi film outside India. We may reach $40 million. It is doing great as a DVD despite piracy in India. We have added over 20 minutes of deleted scenes.

Much of its success came from abroad.

Yes but it is also a huge hit in India. It was particularly strong in the United Kingdom grossing over $4 million. In fact, in the United Kingdom the three top-grossing films are directed by me.

MNIK did better business in the UK than 3 Idiots. And MNIK is still running in more than 100 theatres worldwide. We have just opened the international director's cut in America targeted at the non-diasporic audiences in America, showing the film first in New York and Los Angeles, and if it does well, expanding it to other cities.

What is the big difference between the director's cut and the standard edition?

[Chuckles] Fox Searchlight (the international distributor for the film) has edited out nearly half an hour from the original and they have done an excellent job. I was fully aware of the process and I was pleased to see the new version. Brevity may not be my forte. It is theirs.

Going back to India and the performance of MNIK there ...

We are surprised that it did beyond our expectations. This is not the usual masala film. This is not even a typical Karan Johar [ Images ] film. It is more thought provoking and deeply psychological film than anything I have done before. As I have said before, making this film make me grow more as a person than ever before.

What did Fox Searchlight do to this film that an Indian distributor could not do in the foreign markets?

Because of its vast network, Fox was able to show this film in the best of the theatres worldwide from Canada [ Images ] to Poland to Indonesia. Even in countries where Indian films are very popular but not well distributed, Fox did a remarkable job. From Egypt [ Images ] to Jordan to Malaysia, the film has performed strongly to a large extent because of the Fox distribution strategy and its ability to engage leading film writers in various countries to run stories on My Name Is Khan.

What are some of the territories have surprised you?

Indonesia, in particular. If a Hindi language film grossed about $75,000 there, it is considered excellent but our film struck a chord, and it became a sleeper hit grossing over $1.6 million.

In many Muslim countries, people were moved by what this film is trying to do: to remove a generalized, stereotype depiction of a religion. But extension, it speaks for any religion that is misunderstood an vilified. It offers a human message and it touches your heart.

I believe the film is enjoying a good run in Poland.

It grossed about $75,000 in its first week which is very good for a territory like Poland. I believe the second week is even stronger.

Playing a devil's advocate. Why would anyone care to see your film in Poland which has no history of watching Hindi films in big numbers?

My Name Is Khan is about humanity. It is a film about times and unfolds against the background of today's headlines. But above all, it is a film about the triumphant of goodness.

Are you working with Fox soon?

Right now I don't have any project but who knows what could happen tomorrow? Fox welcomed Dharma Productions and me as if we were family members. And surely if there is a project that interests a Hollywood studio, Fox would welcome us again.

Dharma has given a break to many directors

That is our pride. Last year we made Wake Up Sid [ Images ] directed by Ayan Mukherjee. Soon we have Punit Malhotra-directed I Hate Love Stories with Imran Khan [ Images ] and Sonam in release. I believe it is a sweet and funny film.

What is I Hate Love Stories about?

It is about this guy who hates Hindi movie love stories. But he can't believe that many things that happen in these films are happening to him in real life. And the movie becomes a quintessential love story.

I believe Sonam Kapoor [ Images ] is a luminous artist, the Waheeda Rehman [ Images ] of our generation but she hasn't yet got her due...

I hope our film will give her more exposure and success. She comes from an illustrious family and has firm values. And then there is also an excellent actress/

You don't shy away from discussing your hits and flops. What do you think went wrong with Kurbaan [ Images ] which was also the first film directed by Rensil D'Silva?

It came soon after another film dealing with the aftermath of terrorism in America was released and became a hit. Though Kurbaan was different from that film, still the audiences were hesitant to go and see it. Perhaps we should not have given it a wide release like showing it in over 300 theatres in the first week. The film might have worked better had the word of mouth had time to grow.

You have also said that as a producer you too take personal responsibility for the film's failure.

I feel that I wrongly projected the sexual violence as opposed to the emotional violence of the story. And yet the failure of the film surprised all of us. We still hear from people, not only in India but also in the Middle East, America and the United Kingdom who loved the film. But over all, the film did not take off.

What else have you learned from the reaction to Kurbaan?

I believe it is more important to accept the failure of a film than accept a success. For from failure, you learn a few things. But I also believe that one should never let a failure change one's outlook, as long as it was a credible failure, and Kurbaan was one such film; never to let the failure eat into your heart. We are proud of the way the film was shaped.

What else among Dharma Productions movies would you consider an honourable failure?

More than two decades ago my father (Yash Johar) produced Agneepath which did not do well. It was also a credible failure. Dharma productions soon launched another film. There was no time to mourn the failure. I always remember my father's attitude.

Amitabh Bachchan speaks very proudly of the film, and recites dialogue from it at his live shows?

Yes, he has told us again and again how dear the film is to him. And that is one of the reasons he has continued working with us.

People still remember your father decades after working with him, and many years after his death. Waheeda Rehman speaks about him as they are still friends.

My father was the production manager on Dev Anand's [ Images ] Guide (one of the best-known films starring Waheeda and made in the late 1960s). He played an important role in making the film what it is.

You have spent quite some time in recent years writing stories for films directed by others for Dharma Productions. When are you going to direct your own project.

I would say, soon, say after a few months. But I don't have any subject in my mind. I am using my sojourn in America to think about my next.

What kind of film are you inclined to make?

I think it would be a fun-filled film. It does not also have to be a film with many stars. But who knows? Beyond that I do not have any clue what the film is going to be, and where it would be made.

Arthur J Pais in New York
http://movies.rediff.com/interview/2010/may/12/karan-johar-gets-candid.htm

American version of My Name Is Khan to be shorter by 35 minutes

If the name Alan Edward Bell doesn't ring a 'bell' in your mind, then, let us tell you that, he is the same man who is responsible for the crisp editing of 500 Days Of Summer. And it is going to be this man who will very soon be the talk of the nation (or is that 'globe'?), as he is the man responsible for 'taming the hurricane'. For the uninitiated, we are talking about the climax of Karan Johar's My Name Is Khan wherein the characters get stranded due to a hurricane. Post the release of the film in India; while the story and screenplay were appreciated to the hilt, this was one particular scene that was panned by critics alike. But, for its US release, KJo has let Bell's hands to do the talking (read 'snipping').

Karan Johan candidly admits that he was expecting this scene not to work in the same wavelength as the film's story. He also added that, it was for this reason, that he let Bell to do his job (without any interference from him) since he wanted an outsider's perspective to the story. This has now resulted in the chopping of the hurricane scene in the US version of My Name Is Khan. Bell's work will be visible in the film, which releases on May 7th in the US, and will have its subtitles and voiceovers in English for the audiences there.

LINK

American version of My Name Is Khan to be shorter by 35 minutes

If the name Alan Edward Bell doesn't ring a 'bell' in your mind, then, let us tell you that, he is the same man who is responsible for the crisp editing of 500 Days Of Summer. And it is going to be this man who will very soon be the talk of the nation (or is that 'globe'?), as he is the man responsible for 'taming the hurricane'. For the uninitiated, we are talking about the climax of Karan Johar's My Name Is Khan wherein the characters get stranded due to a hurricane. Post the release of the film in India; while the story and screenplay were appreciated to the hilt, this was one particular scene that was panned by critics alike. But, for its US release, KJo has let Bell's hands to do the talking (read 'snipping').

Karan Johan candidly admits that he was expecting this scene not to work in the same wavelength as the film's story. He also added that, it was for this reason, that he let Bell to do his job (without any interference from him) since he wanted an outsider's perspective to the story. This has now resulted in the chopping of the hurricane scene in the US version of My Name Is Khan. Bell's work will be visible in the film, which releases on May 7th in the US, and will have its subtitles and voiceovers in English for the audiences there.

LINK

Fox Entertainment rejoices Avatar, MNIK success

Last year, Fox Entertainment was celebrating the success of Slumdog Millionaire. This year it's toasting to the record breaking Avatar and has also broken new ground with its bollywood foray My Name is Khan (MNIK).
In an entertainment with CNBC-TV18, Jim Gianopulos, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Fox Entertainment, spoke about the relationship with Karan Johar's Dharma Productions and Shahrukh Khan's Red Chillies Entertainment.
Below is a verbatim transcript of an exclusive entertainment with Jim Gianopulos on CNBC-TV18. Also watch the accompanying video.

Q: What is your relationship with Red Chillies Entertainment?
A: It materialized as a partnership and the film was expensive because so much of it was shot in the US and in multiple locations. The film is about a journey across the country. So those multiple locations and the cost of making that film certainly pushed the budget up higher than a normal bollywood film. It wasn’t one of this–here is the money, see you in a long time. We wouldn’t have done that they didn’t want that. There were many number of people who they could have sold the film to. They made arrangements for every one of their films.
Both of us wanted to try the relationship, improve that there could be a great partnership and the benefit of the synergies of coupling great talent and worldwide marketing and distribution. From the very beginning it was viewed as a partnership enterprise. There was deference, to the extent that we deferred to Karan and Sharukh in terms of how it was handled and how I was positioned here in India. They deferred completely to us in the rest of the world and particularly the US. This didn’t mean it wasn’t collaborative in every corner of the world that it was released.

Q: Are you happy with the collections?
A: Yes, very happy.

Q: When you look at the India Theatrical collection, while it opened really well, it kept falling by more than half in all the following or consecutive weeks, was that disappointing?
A: No because this was a movie which was intentionally looking to change the form and test the limits of the form. It wasn’t a conventional bollywood film and we heard it in some of the smaller markets and some part of the country where people said, I don’t get what is Shahrukh Khan doing in that role and why is the film in that sort of a narrative form. The fact that it didn’t play in some of the smaller markets in the country was really not a surprise because it wasn’t conventional and it wasn’t intended to be.

Q: So now movies are now going to be before Avatar and after Avatar, isn’t it?
A: That’s what they said about Titanic.

Q: Are you used to it?
A: I won’t go that far. It’s a very unique experience and a thrilling one.

Q: Have you already derived USD 2.5 billion?
A: We have derived USD 2.7 billion.

Q: Give us an idea of what it means because on one hand we are talking about MNIK which is some USD 40 million and you have USD 2.7 billion on the other hand?
A: Someone once said to me that the business transactions were quite substantial. We said the difference is that there are more zeroes. This is the difference between those two films. So this is an incredible experience that we have been involved. We have the very much the same pride with My Name is Khan because that doesn’t happen every day.
To be able to take great talents like Kajol and Sharukh and expose them to the rest of the world is really a great source of pride. There was one moment when we had the biggest local movie in China and the biggest in the world with Avatar. The only place that we weren’t number one that weekend was in the US.

LINK

Fox Entertainment rejoices Avatar, MNIK success

Last year, Fox Entertainment was celebrating the success of Slumdog Millionaire. This year it's toasting to the record breaking Avatar and has also broken new ground with its bollywood foray My Name is Khan (MNIK).
In an entertainment with CNBC-TV18, Jim Gianopulos, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Fox Entertainment, spoke about the relationship with Karan Johar's Dharma Productions and Shahrukh Khan's Red Chillies Entertainment.
Below is a verbatim transcript of an exclusive entertainment with Jim Gianopulos on CNBC-TV18. Also watch the accompanying video.

Q: What is your relationship with Red Chillies Entertainment?
A: It materialized as a partnership and the film was expensive because so much of it was shot in the US and in multiple locations. The film is about a journey across the country. So those multiple locations and the cost of making that film certainly pushed the budget up higher than a normal bollywood film. It wasn’t one of this–here is the money, see you in a long time. We wouldn’t have done that they didn’t want that. There were many number of people who they could have sold the film to. They made arrangements for every one of their films.
Both of us wanted to try the relationship, improve that there could be a great partnership and the benefit of the synergies of coupling great talent and worldwide marketing and distribution. From the very beginning it was viewed as a partnership enterprise. There was deference, to the extent that we deferred to Karan and Sharukh in terms of how it was handled and how I was positioned here in India. They deferred completely to us in the rest of the world and particularly the US. This didn’t mean it wasn’t collaborative in every corner of the world that it was released.

Q: Are you happy with the collections?
A: Yes, very happy.

Q: When you look at the India Theatrical collection, while it opened really well, it kept falling by more than half in all the following or consecutive weeks, was that disappointing?
A: No because this was a movie which was intentionally looking to change the form and test the limits of the form. It wasn’t a conventional bollywood film and we heard it in some of the smaller markets and some part of the country where people said, I don’t get what is Shahrukh Khan doing in that role and why is the film in that sort of a narrative form. The fact that it didn’t play in some of the smaller markets in the country was really not a surprise because it wasn’t conventional and it wasn’t intended to be.

Q: So now movies are now going to be before Avatar and after Avatar, isn’t it?
A: That’s what they said about Titanic.

Q: Are you used to it?
A: I won’t go that far. It’s a very unique experience and a thrilling one.

Q: Have you already derived USD 2.5 billion?
A: We have derived USD 2.7 billion.

Q: Give us an idea of what it means because on one hand we are talking about MNIK which is some USD 40 million and you have USD 2.7 billion on the other hand?
A: Someone once said to me that the business transactions were quite substantial. We said the difference is that there are more zeroes. This is the difference between those two films. So this is an incredible experience that we have been involved. We have the very much the same pride with My Name is Khan because that doesn’t happen every day.
To be able to take great talents like Kajol and Sharukh and expose them to the rest of the world is really a great source of pride. There was one moment when we had the biggest local movie in China and the biggest in the world with Avatar. The only place that we weren’t number one that weekend was in the US.

LINK

Screen syndrome

The hero with a debilitating condition may not be entirely convincing. But the city welcomes him in any case.

Rizvan Khan is afraid of new people and new places. He can’t stand loud noises or the colour yellow. He does his tasks by the clock and does not understand most of what people say or do. He can’t cry. Rizvan has Asperger’s syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder, and is the hero of My Name Is Khan (MNIK). His biggest USP? He is played by Shah Rukh Khan.

Having lost his stepson to a racial attack for bearing the name Khan in the aftermath of 9/11, Rizvan sets out on a seemingly impossible journey to meet the American President and tell him: “My name is Khan and I am not a terrorist”.

When Rizvan finally meets the President — of course since it’s a Hindi film the President comes to meet Rizvan — you get all misty-eyed.

Made with Rs 55 crore, the film collected Rs 150 crore in the first week in India and abroad, say initial reports.

In these troubled times, when “twitter” reminds you more of cows on planes than birds in the woods, and “wave” has more to do with social networking than with the seaside, the Hindi film hero needs some more ammo to pack in his punch. He must have a debilitating condition, rare and incurable, and preferably unpronounceable.

Novelty factor

In Paa, the 12-year-old schoolkid Auro suffers from progeria, a severe genetic condition where the body ages must faster than is normal. It is an extremely rare condition that affects one per eight million live births. In India, there is just one known instance — a family from Bihar now based in Calcutta with five children who suffered from progeria. Four of the kids have died. Ekramul, the fourth child, was supposed to meet Amitabh Bachchan after the release of Paa, but died before he could. He was 23.

In Paa, Amitabh’s handsome face is hidden behind layers of make-up, the commanding height shrunk with some superb cinematography and the rich baritone replaced with a raspy whisper. The film, made on a “tight” budget of Rs 14.75 crore, grossed Rs 3.5 crore in just nine days.

The Hindi film — and Amitabh Bachchan — has “evolved” since 1974, when the Salim-Javed scripted Majboor had Bachchan ready to face the noose for a murder he didn’t commit to secure the future of his wheelchair-bound little sister, played by Farida Jalal. Bachchan could only be whole then, and a saviour of the disabled. Now Bachchan is the disabled protagonist.

Disability sells, as the box office says. But is that such a bad thing?

According to trade analysts, the trend started with Aamir Khan’s directorial debut in December 2007, Taare Zameen Par, which had Darsheel Safary as a schoolkid with dyslexia, who stole all hearts. Made on a budget of Rs 12 crore, the film earned Rs 131 crore.

Of course, in 2005 there was Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Black, though the portrayal of Rani Mukerji as a deaf-mute-blind girl in the film was more a caricature than a representation of disability, many felt.

But if Aamir the director was sensitive in the portrayal of dyslexia in Taare..., Aamir the actor followed it up with Ghajini a year later, a blood-and-gore tale of revenge, set apart by the hero’s inability to remember anything beyond 15 minutes — anterograde amnesia. With a budget of Rs 45 crore, Ghajini raked in around Rs 100 crore in the first eight days.

And now schizophrenia has come calling with Karthik Calling Karthik.

Box office

Moinak Biswas, a teacher at the department of film studies at Jadavpur University, feels the string of disability-based movies coming out of Bollywood is an “abominable trend”. “These films are nothing but a manipulative, commercial venture. I don’t understand why Hindi films need to preach so much,” he says.

There are other questions. The disabilities are either rare, or picturesque, or both (though dyslexia is an exception, as are Guddu’s stammer and Charlie’s lisp in Kaminey, but that was not the point of the film).

Asperger’s syndrome is a high-functioning form of autism and those living with it have much more cognitive and speech development than others on the autism spectrum. Had Karan Johar decided for Rizvan to have autism, much of what he does in the film would have been far-fetched.

Anindita Chatterjee, therapy in-charge at Manovikas Kendra, Rehabilitation and Research Institute for the Handicapped, who works with children with autism, says there are no kids with Asperger’s syndrome in her school. She says she was impressed with Rizvan’s gait, his mannerisms, his speech and his inability to make eye contact. “But most children with autism will not be able to achieve that kind of development in thought or movement,” she says.

Would Karan Johar have taken up that debilitating a disability? Would SRK have acted as such a disabled person? What does the film do for those with the disability in real life? The same question can be asked of Paa.

“Amitabh Bachchan depicted the walk well, but I don’t think a person with progeria can dance the way Auro does,” says Arunaloke Bhattacharyya, an assistant professor at the Indian Institute of Child Health, Calcutta, who has worked closely with the family from Bihar.

Besides, the crop of new films has stolen their plots from Hollywood.

Paa owes its origin to Jack (Robin Williams had Werner syndrome, where a person ages four times faster than normal) and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt ages backwards in this film, which might have been inspired by progeria). MNIK to Rain Man (Dustin Hoffman plays a person with autism) and Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks plays a simple man who is a part of the greatest events of the 20th century without realising their historical importance). Ghajini is almost a scene-by-scene rip-off from Memento, a psychological thriller involving anterograde amnesia. Black is inspired by Miracle Worker, a 1962 film based on Helen Keller’s autobiography, The Story of My Life.

But on the whole, in a sad irony, activists and families working with disability are far more welcoming of these films than critical. In a city, and a country, where there’s hardly any public awareness or empathy about people with disability — even a film with a less than satisfactory portrayal of disability is greeted warmly.

Cinematic liberty

“Amitabh Bachchan’s look was realistic in Paa, save for Auro’s height. Also, because of early ageing, such a person does not have so much mobility. But I feel one can grant the film-makers that bit of cinematic liberty,” says Bhattacharyya, with genuine appreciation.

Krishna Roy, an autism consultant, welcomes such movies too. “Nei mamar cheye kana mama bhalo (something is better than nothing),” she says. She remembers a teacher of a reputable city school had once told her: “I feel so repulsed when I look at a disabled child”.

“In such a milieu, films dealing with disability are very much welcome. And bigger the star power, greater is the impact,” says Roy.

The mother of a nine-year-old boy with autism speaks of her experience of watching MNIK. “Living with autism day in and day out is a totally different experience. And I also know that my son will not become as able as Rizvan Khan. But such a film gives me a tiny ray of hope that my boy might one day conquer some of his deficiencies and be able to fend for himself a little more than what he can do now,” she smiles.

Sometimes the effect of a film can be felt directly. Sharada Fatehpuria, the director-secretary of Manovikas Kendra, says Taare... had a huge impact on the public mind. “So many children who would earlier struggle to cope in class are now being given extra coaching to catch up with the rest,” she says. 

Read the rest here.

Screen syndrome

The hero with a debilitating condition may not be entirely convincing. But the city welcomes him in any case.

Rizvan Khan is afraid of new people and new places. He can’t stand loud noises or the colour yellow. He does his tasks by the clock and does not understand most of what people say or do. He can’t cry. Rizvan has Asperger’s syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder, and is the hero of My Name Is Khan (MNIK). His biggest USP? He is played by Shah Rukh Khan.

Having lost his stepson to a racial attack for bearing the name Khan in the aftermath of 9/11, Rizvan sets out on a seemingly impossible journey to meet the American President and tell him: “My name is Khan and I am not a terrorist”.

When Rizvan finally meets the President — of course since it’s a Hindi film the President comes to meet Rizvan — you get all misty-eyed.

Made with Rs 55 crore, the film collected Rs 150 crore in the first week in India and abroad, say initial reports.

In these troubled times, when “twitter” reminds you more of cows on planes than birds in the woods, and “wave” has more to do with social networking than with the seaside, the Hindi film hero needs some more ammo to pack in his punch. He must have a debilitating condition, rare and incurable, and preferably unpronounceable.

Novelty factor

In Paa, the 12-year-old schoolkid Auro suffers from progeria, a severe genetic condition where the body ages must faster than is normal. It is an extremely rare condition that affects one per eight million live births. In India, there is just one known instance — a family from Bihar now based in Calcutta with five children who suffered from progeria. Four of the kids have died. Ekramul, the fourth child, was supposed to meet Amitabh Bachchan after the release of Paa, but died before he could. He was 23.

In Paa, Amitabh’s handsome face is hidden behind layers of make-up, the commanding height shrunk with some superb cinematography and the rich baritone replaced with a raspy whisper. The film, made on a “tight” budget of Rs 14.75 crore, grossed Rs 3.5 crore in just nine days.

The Hindi film — and Amitabh Bachchan — has “evolved” since 1974, when the Salim-Javed scripted Majboor had Bachchan ready to face the noose for a murder he didn’t commit to secure the future of his wheelchair-bound little sister, played by Farida Jalal. Bachchan could only be whole then, and a saviour of the disabled. Now Bachchan is the disabled protagonist.

Disability sells, as the box office says. But is that such a bad thing?

According to trade analysts, the trend started with Aamir Khan’s directorial debut in December 2007, Taare Zameen Par, which had Darsheel Safary as a schoolkid with dyslexia, who stole all hearts. Made on a budget of Rs 12 crore, the film earned Rs 131 crore.

Of course, in 2005 there was Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Black, though the portrayal of Rani Mukerji as a deaf-mute-blind girl in the film was more a caricature than a representation of disability, many felt.

But if Aamir the director was sensitive in the portrayal of dyslexia in Taare..., Aamir the actor followed it up with Ghajini a year later, a blood-and-gore tale of revenge, set apart by the hero’s inability to remember anything beyond 15 minutes — anterograde amnesia. With a budget of Rs 45 crore, Ghajini raked in around Rs 100 crore in the first eight days.

And now schizophrenia has come calling with Karthik Calling Karthik.

Box office

Moinak Biswas, a teacher at the department of film studies at Jadavpur University, feels the string of disability-based movies coming out of Bollywood is an “abominable trend”. “These films are nothing but a manipulative, commercial venture. I don’t understand why Hindi films need to preach so much,” he says.

There are other questions. The disabilities are either rare, or picturesque, or both (though dyslexia is an exception, as are Guddu’s stammer and Charlie’s lisp in Kaminey, but that was not the point of the film).

Asperger’s syndrome is a high-functioning form of autism and those living with it have much more cognitive and speech development than others on the autism spectrum. Had Karan Johar decided for Rizvan to have autism, much of what he does in the film would have been far-fetched.

Anindita Chatterjee, therapy in-charge at Manovikas Kendra, Rehabilitation and Research Institute for the Handicapped, who works with children with autism, says there are no kids with Asperger’s syndrome in her school. She says she was impressed with Rizvan’s gait, his mannerisms, his speech and his inability to make eye contact. “But most children with autism will not be able to achieve that kind of development in thought or movement,” she says.

Would Karan Johar have taken up that debilitating a disability? Would SRK have acted as such a disabled person? What does the film do for those with the disability in real life? The same question can be asked of Paa.

“Amitabh Bachchan depicted the walk well, but I don’t think a person with progeria can dance the way Auro does,” says Arunaloke Bhattacharyya, an assistant professor at the Indian Institute of Child Health, Calcutta, who has worked closely with the family from Bihar.

Besides, the crop of new films has stolen their plots from Hollywood.

Paa owes its origin to Jack (Robin Williams had Werner syndrome, where a person ages four times faster than normal) and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt ages backwards in this film, which might have been inspired by progeria). MNIK to Rain Man (Dustin Hoffman plays a person with autism) and Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks plays a simple man who is a part of the greatest events of the 20th century without realising their historical importance). Ghajini is almost a scene-by-scene rip-off from Memento, a psychological thriller involving anterograde amnesia. Black is inspired by Miracle Worker, a 1962 film based on Helen Keller’s autobiography, The Story of My Life.

But on the whole, in a sad irony, activists and families working with disability are far more welcoming of these films than critical. In a city, and a country, where there’s hardly any public awareness or empathy about people with disability — even a film with a less than satisfactory portrayal of disability is greeted warmly.

Cinematic liberty

“Amitabh Bachchan’s look was realistic in Paa, save for Auro’s height. Also, because of early ageing, such a person does not have so much mobility. But I feel one can grant the film-makers that bit of cinematic liberty,” says Bhattacharyya, with genuine appreciation.

Krishna Roy, an autism consultant, welcomes such movies too. “Nei mamar cheye kana mama bhalo (something is better than nothing),” she says. She remembers a teacher of a reputable city school had once told her: “I feel so repulsed when I look at a disabled child”.

“In such a milieu, films dealing with disability are very much welcome. And bigger the star power, greater is the impact,” says Roy.

The mother of a nine-year-old boy with autism speaks of her experience of watching MNIK. “Living with autism day in and day out is a totally different experience. And I also know that my son will not become as able as Rizvan Khan. But such a film gives me a tiny ray of hope that my boy might one day conquer some of his deficiencies and be able to fend for himself a little more than what he can do now,” she smiles.

Sometimes the effect of a film can be felt directly. Sharada Fatehpuria, the director-secretary of Manovikas Kendra, says Taare... had a huge impact on the public mind. “So many children who would earlier struggle to cope in class are now being given extra coaching to catch up with the rest,” she says. 

Read the rest here.

Stuck in stereotypes !!

Will Bollywood ever get to portray Muslim characters realistically in its films?
He used to be omnipresent in the psyche of Bollywood and made his presence felt in every other Hindi film. The benign Muslim with a beard and a prayer cap, ever ready to extend a helping hand to the protagonist in distress. He dispensed charity, advice and wisdom about the almighty with the same serene look on his face. He turned all the more important if the film had a Muslim as the villain. That blasphemy had to be balanced out with this symbol of purity and virtue.

Remember the all-time favourite Sholay and how the grandfather, played by a wizened A.K. Hangal, recalled that it was time for his namaaz immediately after the discovery of the brutal murder of his grandson. He is the best prototype of this symbolic representation given to India's largest minority in films. That is unless the movie belonged to that quaint farcical genre called the “Muslim Social”. The men in these films paraded in ornamental sherwanis, the women in colourful ghararas and spouted romantic sher and shairi at the drop of a hat. We don't know when and where this caricature disappeared from our national pastime.

New stereotypes

Only to be replaced by another kind of unrealistic depiction. The latest avatar of the reigning superstar in My name is Khanis an example of this non-change. Rizwan Khan suffers from Asperger's syndrome that in lesser mortals would translate into a challenge that is defined by low social skills and a deep aversion to loud noises, certain colours and lack of structure. In Karan Johar's latest popcorn venture parading as serious cinema, the character played by Shah Rukh Khan, miraculously translates these disadvantages into a kind of relentless nobility. He spells out to everyone he meets in the American streets “My name is Khan and I am not a terrorist.” Only the President of the world's “greatest” democracy gets the better of him. On meeting Khan, he declares immediately “Your name is Khan and you are not a terrorist,” before Khan can do the honours.

Maybe Johar was exorcising his guilt while making the film. After all, in Kurbaan, the last venture he produced under his banner, all the “Khans” turned out to be terrorists, including the mother who until then had escaped critical scrutiny by Bollywood directors. In the holy cows propagated by Indian cinema, “Maa” has always come first, unless she turned out to be sauteli. And here was this matriarch played by Kiran Kher transformed into a ruthless suicide bomber with a filmy pathan accent. Johar and his debut director got inspired by a Hollywood flop, Arlington Road and vested their version with religious bias. The result was a deeply flawed film that broke every norm of political correctness.

The female protagonist is a Hindu professor teaching in a university in New York who gets tricked into marrying a Muslim terrorist. He, along with his family, puts her under house arrest the moment she chances on his nefarious plans, leading to the most disturbing denouement seen in a Hindi film in recent times. He is shot dead by the authorities and his wife's grief-stricken face teases the audience in a close up. She is mourning a man who has deceived her at every turn, threatened to kill her father and reacted humanly only when he finds out she is carrying “his” baby. The prevailing thread in the film is the righteous Hindu wife and her evil in-laws. The family has turned out that way because some of its members have either been tortured or killed by the white American regime.

A few months before Kurbaan released, there had been another Hindi film, New York, that trod on a similarly problematic premise. But at least in that one, the mantle of the virtuous was also worn by the Muslim friend like in the films of yore. Mercifully, the tokenism was very much in place to balance the new disturbing trend.

The subliminal message in all these films is that terrorism results out of a sense of personal vengeance. The Islamic terrorist has been ravaged by the hegemony of the US and wants to get even by killing innocents. None of these films try to reflect on the phenomenon of terrorism intelligently. What did Iraq and Afghanistan have to do with the siege of Bombay last year? But it is tricky for a Bollywood film to go there. Our desi mainstream directors are likely to balk at the idea of terrorism being spawned by truths closer at home like the Babri Masjid demolition or the Gujarat riots.

Clever positions

It is only by design and not accident that a New York or a Kurbaan unfolds in the American context. The two feuding parties, the white American population as well as the Islamic terrorists, can be perceived as adversaries by the Indian audience. So the makers get to be like the clever monkey who decided to settle the feud between the two cats and gobbled the cake himself.

Read the rest here.

Stuck in stereotypes !!

Will Bollywood ever get to portray Muslim characters realistically in its films?
He used to be omnipresent in the psyche of Bollywood and made his presence felt in every other Hindi film. The benign Muslim with a beard and a prayer cap, ever ready to extend a helping hand to the protagonist in distress. He dispensed charity, advice and wisdom about the almighty with the same serene look on his face. He turned all the more important if the film had a Muslim as the villain. That blasphemy had to be balanced out with this symbol of purity and virtue.

Remember the all-time favourite Sholay and how the grandfather, played by a wizened A.K. Hangal, recalled that it was time for his namaaz immediately after the discovery of the brutal murder of his grandson. He is the best prototype of this symbolic representation given to India's largest minority in films. That is unless the movie belonged to that quaint farcical genre called the “Muslim Social”. The men in these films paraded in ornamental sherwanis, the women in colourful ghararas and spouted romantic sher and shairi at the drop of a hat. We don't know when and where this caricature disappeared from our national pastime.

New stereotypes

Only to be replaced by another kind of unrealistic depiction. The latest avatar of the reigning superstar in My name is Khanis an example of this non-change. Rizwan Khan suffers from Asperger's syndrome that in lesser mortals would translate into a challenge that is defined by low social skills and a deep aversion to loud noises, certain colours and lack of structure. In Karan Johar's latest popcorn venture parading as serious cinema, the character played by Shah Rukh Khan, miraculously translates these disadvantages into a kind of relentless nobility. He spells out to everyone he meets in the American streets “My name is Khan and I am not a terrorist.” Only the President of the world's “greatest” democracy gets the better of him. On meeting Khan, he declares immediately “Your name is Khan and you are not a terrorist,” before Khan can do the honours.

Maybe Johar was exorcising his guilt while making the film. After all, in Kurbaan, the last venture he produced under his banner, all the “Khans” turned out to be terrorists, including the mother who until then had escaped critical scrutiny by Bollywood directors. In the holy cows propagated by Indian cinema, “Maa” has always come first, unless she turned out to be sauteli. And here was this matriarch played by Kiran Kher transformed into a ruthless suicide bomber with a filmy pathan accent. Johar and his debut director got inspired by a Hollywood flop, Arlington Road and vested their version with religious bias. The result was a deeply flawed film that broke every norm of political correctness.

The female protagonist is a Hindu professor teaching in a university in New York who gets tricked into marrying a Muslim terrorist. He, along with his family, puts her under house arrest the moment she chances on his nefarious plans, leading to the most disturbing denouement seen in a Hindi film in recent times. He is shot dead by the authorities and his wife's grief-stricken face teases the audience in a close up. She is mourning a man who has deceived her at every turn, threatened to kill her father and reacted humanly only when he finds out she is carrying “his” baby. The prevailing thread in the film is the righteous Hindu wife and her evil in-laws. The family has turned out that way because some of its members have either been tortured or killed by the white American regime.

A few months before Kurbaan released, there had been another Hindi film, New York, that trod on a similarly problematic premise. But at least in that one, the mantle of the virtuous was also worn by the Muslim friend like in the films of yore. Mercifully, the tokenism was very much in place to balance the new disturbing trend.

The subliminal message in all these films is that terrorism results out of a sense of personal vengeance. The Islamic terrorist has been ravaged by the hegemony of the US and wants to get even by killing innocents. None of these films try to reflect on the phenomenon of terrorism intelligently. What did Iraq and Afghanistan have to do with the siege of Bombay last year? But it is tricky for a Bollywood film to go there. Our desi mainstream directors are likely to balk at the idea of terrorism being spawned by truths closer at home like the Babri Masjid demolition or the Gujarat riots.

Clever positions

It is only by design and not accident that a New York or a Kurbaan unfolds in the American context. The two feuding parties, the white American population as well as the Islamic terrorists, can be perceived as adversaries by the Indian audience. So the makers get to be like the clever monkey who decided to settle the feud between the two cats and gobbled the cake himself.

Read the rest here.

‘Research For MNIK Opened My Mind To The World’ - Karan Johar

THREE YEARS AGO Karan Johar TOLD SHOMA CHAUDHURY THAT HE WAS DISSATISFIED WITH HIS SLEWOF HITS AND THAT HE HAD NOT YET MADE A FILM HE WAS PROUD OF. WITH HIS LATEST FILM, MY NAME IS KHAN, THE MAN WHO WAS ONCE A BYWORD FOR THE BIG AND SPLASHY WEDDING, MAKES A VERY PUBLIC SHIFT. IN THIS NEW INTERVIEW, HE TALKS OF THE UNEXPECTED CHANGES THAT THE MAKING OF THE FILM AND THE AFTERMATH HAD ON HIS SENSE OF SELF AND CINEMA. EXCERPTS:

There’s been a big shift of concern in the kind of films you are making — whether it is Kurbaan, Wake Up Sid or My Name Is Khan. Is this a conscious transition?
Karan Johar: A few filmmakers — only Adi [Aditya Chopra] and me actually — have been part of a transition in cinema. When Ashutosh [Gowarikar] made Lagaan, he hadn’t catered to the audience before, he had only made a couple of films. He immediately brought in a new sensibility. Farhan’s first film also brought in this new cool. While we had catered to a certain kind of cinegoer’s demands in the 1990s and then saw the evolution of the audience. I feel the need to adapt with the times. I had done a lot of films that were internal experiences, and as a filmmaker to challenge myself I felt the need to do something that yanks me out of my comfort zone. And as a producer I go by the diktats of the young minds I put my faith in — whether it’s Tarun Mansukhani who wanted to make Dostana, a rom-com with a mild edge or an Ayan Mukherjee who wanted to direct a coming-of-age film Wake Up Sid or Rensil D’Silva who chose to make a film on global terrorism. This year we have a quintessential date flick coming up called I Hate Love Stories and the official adaptation ofStepmom. These are not necessarily pathbreaking films but extremely warm mainstream endeavours. For myself this phase is going to stay because I’m in a different headspace from when I made Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (KKHH) and Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham (KKKG).

So these new concerns are not just about adapting to your environment, but also something personal?
Of course it is. Cinema is a reflection of your own state of mind. So I felt different when I directed KKHH and I feel totally different today — whatever you feel will reflect on celluloid and I don’t feel like I want to do something I’ve done before. I felt boredom had crept into my work.

The last time you and I spoke, you said you wished you could adopt a different name because of people’s expectations of your cinema.
I’m glad I may have kind of broken the shackles of my own perceived image. In media branding when they referred to a KJo film it was associated with terms like gloss, popcorn, glamour, mush, bubblegum, which were almost hurled at me like weapons — I felt like I was slotted too soon which was complimentary in a way but also annoying. You can’t slot me with two to three films, wait for two decades. With Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna I felt there was a shift in the perception, but now with My Name Is Khan (MNIK) I feel there is no way that I can be slotted in a category.

‘I’VE NEVER MADE A FILM I’M PROUD OF’ KKKG is all about me trying to show off, nothing else. It’s me saying, look, I’ve put up this big set; look, I’ve put up this star cast; they’re wearing beautiful clothes, look, look, look. Today I’ve become a school of cinema, whether you like it or hate it. Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna was my attempt to break my own mould. But what I did wrong was blend in some of my old need for opulence and scale and a star cast. I should have stuck to my initial thought, my first instinct, which was to make it an intimate drama of two couples. My gut and my spine is commercial, so no matter what, even while experimenting, I’ll always be mainstream. I sit here and visualise myself in my Armani suit, walking with my mother on the red carpet in LA, entering the Kodak Theatre, sitting in the twentieth row, hearing my nomination, getting the award, going up and ending my speech with, this is for you India. I have it all planned. But I will never make a two-hour film without songs, which might bore my country, just to achieve that. I’ve never made a film that I can proudly say is my film, that I can proudly tell people, did you see Lagaan, I made it. Or, did you see Rang De Basanti, I made it. I haven’t made that film yet, but I will. Sometimes my name hinders a film, because audiences come thinking there’ll be a lovely shaadi song. That worries me. I’ll have to strategise the promotion very cleverly — make it very clear that this is me — Karan. (laughs) Karan Trivedi maybe, or Saxena or Karan Thapar — anything, but not Karan Johar. excerpts PREVIOUS CONVERSATION

What triggered MNIK for you?
What annoyed me was when intelligent, educated, affluent people talked nonsense. That really riled me. A conversation I had with people I met in New York over dinner upset me. It was not said but there was an undertone of complete racial assault which put me off. I have a problem with generalisation and putting people into boxes. At a political and human level. Even if they’re just saying ‘fat people are sweet’ or ‘short people can’t be trusted’ I have a problem when people make statements like this. You cannot generalise one community or religion, it goes against the grain of humanity. A certain amount of general goodness has been forgotten with the cynicism of our times. I feel very strongly the need to address it as a filmmaker. Addressing the issue of the identity of the Muslim in the modern world was one way to address the human community at large.

That conversation triggered off the thought process. Then I went back and researched with various organisations that protect minority rights in America. My story was different then. Then we realised the simplicity of the plot would seem artificial if we went down the typical route. We had to go through a man not of our times, whose mind was not cluttered with what our minds are usually full of. We may have romanticised the character. He has Asperger’s Syndrome which is high functioning autism and he sees life very differently, sees things literally. So he comes from a place of innocence and vulnerability.

It gives a place for the social constructs to fall away
Zarina Wahab’s character — Rizwan Khan’s mother — her philosophy could be extremely simplistic to some and deeply profound to others.

When you were doing this research, did it politicise you, change you?I felt the need to engage myself with what was happening globally. It opened my headspace up to so much. When you do this kind of research the information that you get isn’t just facts, you feel it, you’re associating it with your own film – so it made me passionate towards what was happening in the world.

Read more HERE.

‘Research For MNIK Opened My Mind To The World’ - Karan Johar

THREE YEARS AGO Karan Johar TOLD SHOMA CHAUDHURY THAT HE WAS DISSATISFIED WITH HIS SLEWOF HITS AND THAT HE HAD NOT YET MADE A FILM HE WAS PROUD OF. WITH HIS LATEST FILM, MY NAME IS KHAN, THE MAN WHO WAS ONCE A BYWORD FOR THE BIG AND SPLASHY WEDDING, MAKES A VERY PUBLIC SHIFT. IN THIS NEW INTERVIEW, HE TALKS OF THE UNEXPECTED CHANGES THAT THE MAKING OF THE FILM AND THE AFTERMATH HAD ON HIS SENSE OF SELF AND CINEMA. EXCERPTS:

There’s been a big shift of concern in the kind of films you are making — whether it is Kurbaan, Wake Up Sid or My Name Is Khan. Is this a conscious transition?
Karan Johar: A few filmmakers — only Adi [Aditya Chopra] and me actually — have been part of a transition in cinema. When Ashutosh [Gowarikar] made Lagaan, he hadn’t catered to the audience before, he had only made a couple of films. He immediately brought in a new sensibility. Farhan’s first film also brought in this new cool. While we had catered to a certain kind of cinegoer’s demands in the 1990s and then saw the evolution of the audience. I feel the need to adapt with the times. I had done a lot of films that were internal experiences, and as a filmmaker to challenge myself I felt the need to do something that yanks me out of my comfort zone. And as a producer I go by the diktats of the young minds I put my faith in — whether it’s Tarun Mansukhani who wanted to make Dostana, a rom-com with a mild edge or an Ayan Mukherjee who wanted to direct a coming-of-age film Wake Up Sid or Rensil D’Silva who chose to make a film on global terrorism. This year we have a quintessential date flick coming up called I Hate Love Stories and the official adaptation ofStepmom. These are not necessarily pathbreaking films but extremely warm mainstream endeavours. For myself this phase is going to stay because I’m in a different headspace from when I made Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (KKHH) and Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham (KKKG).

So these new concerns are not just about adapting to your environment, but also something personal?
Of course it is. Cinema is a reflection of your own state of mind. So I felt different when I directed KKHH and I feel totally different today — whatever you feel will reflect on celluloid and I don’t feel like I want to do something I’ve done before. I felt boredom had crept into my work.

The last time you and I spoke, you said you wished you could adopt a different name because of people’s expectations of your cinema.
I’m glad I may have kind of broken the shackles of my own perceived image. In media branding when they referred to a KJo film it was associated with terms like gloss, popcorn, glamour, mush, bubblegum, which were almost hurled at me like weapons — I felt like I was slotted too soon which was complimentary in a way but also annoying. You can’t slot me with two to three films, wait for two decades. With Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna I felt there was a shift in the perception, but now with My Name Is Khan (MNIK) I feel there is no way that I can be slotted in a category.

‘I’VE NEVER MADE A FILM I’M PROUD OF’ KKKG is all about me trying to show off, nothing else. It’s me saying, look, I’ve put up this big set; look, I’ve put up this star cast; they’re wearing beautiful clothes, look, look, look. Today I’ve become a school of cinema, whether you like it or hate it. Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna was my attempt to break my own mould. But what I did wrong was blend in some of my old need for opulence and scale and a star cast. I should have stuck to my initial thought, my first instinct, which was to make it an intimate drama of two couples. My gut and my spine is commercial, so no matter what, even while experimenting, I’ll always be mainstream. I sit here and visualise myself in my Armani suit, walking with my mother on the red carpet in LA, entering the Kodak Theatre, sitting in the twentieth row, hearing my nomination, getting the award, going up and ending my speech with, this is for you India. I have it all planned. But I will never make a two-hour film without songs, which might bore my country, just to achieve that. I’ve never made a film that I can proudly say is my film, that I can proudly tell people, did you see Lagaan, I made it. Or, did you see Rang De Basanti, I made it. I haven’t made that film yet, but I will. Sometimes my name hinders a film, because audiences come thinking there’ll be a lovely shaadi song. That worries me. I’ll have to strategise the promotion very cleverly — make it very clear that this is me — Karan. (laughs) Karan Trivedi maybe, or Saxena or Karan Thapar — anything, but not Karan Johar. excerpts PREVIOUS CONVERSATION

What triggered MNIK for you?
What annoyed me was when intelligent, educated, affluent people talked nonsense. That really riled me. A conversation I had with people I met in New York over dinner upset me. It was not said but there was an undertone of complete racial assault which put me off. I have a problem with generalisation and putting people into boxes. At a political and human level. Even if they’re just saying ‘fat people are sweet’ or ‘short people can’t be trusted’ I have a problem when people make statements like this. You cannot generalise one community or religion, it goes against the grain of humanity. A certain amount of general goodness has been forgotten with the cynicism of our times. I feel very strongly the need to address it as a filmmaker. Addressing the issue of the identity of the Muslim in the modern world was one way to address the human community at large.

That conversation triggered off the thought process. Then I went back and researched with various organisations that protect minority rights in America. My story was different then. Then we realised the simplicity of the plot would seem artificial if we went down the typical route. We had to go through a man not of our times, whose mind was not cluttered with what our minds are usually full of. We may have romanticised the character. He has Asperger’s Syndrome which is high functioning autism and he sees life very differently, sees things literally. So he comes from a place of innocence and vulnerability.

It gives a place for the social constructs to fall away
Zarina Wahab’s character — Rizwan Khan’s mother — her philosophy could be extremely simplistic to some and deeply profound to others.

When you were doing this research, did it politicise you, change you?I felt the need to engage myself with what was happening globally. It opened my headspace up to so much. When you do this kind of research the information that you get isn’t just facts, you feel it, you’re associating it with your own film – so it made me passionate towards what was happening in the world.

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