[8D] Frothy feel-good films might not be Bollywood's current flavour but
wiz kid Karan Johar refuses to let the box-office dictate terms. So
far, Karan's been lucky: Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie
Gham saw him laugh all the way to the bank. In both cases, indulgent
producer dad Yash Johar let him have a free hand with soaring
budgets. The result, as Karan says, has been "good looking, no
expenses barred films with characters who are larger than life yet
normal".
With Kal Ho Naa Ho, his first outing as a producer, Karan again has
gone over-budget, while erstwhile assistant director Nikhil Advani
graduates to filmmaking.
Karan won't divulge details about Kal Ho…, which, industry gossip
reveals, has traces of Hrishikesh Mukherjee's Anand. "Kal Ho… is
about love and revolves round four people: Jaya (Bachchan) aunty,
Shah Rukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan and Preity Zinta. It isn't a love
triangle, but an urban, GenNow film about friends, mother-son
relationship, and about three people whose lives are intertwined. The
film's not inspired by a Hollywood flick or an old Hindi film," says
Karan.
The film was shot around Battery Park, New York (the crew were
shooting there hen America's famous blackout happened) and "despite
SRK's bad back" and a gruelling "eight month shoot" during which the
crew was desperate for home food, it's "on time".
Apart from old favourites Shah Rukh and Jaya Bachchan "who are
family", Karan's new film has names he's never worked with before:
Saif, Preity and composers Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. "Saif is a fine
artist, underrated all the time. Preity is perfect as the vivacious,
20-something she plays. And Kal Ho… will be a visual delight," quips
Karan. Hopefully, his visual extravaganza will also translate into
mega bucks when the film releases in November. [8D]
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