Karan Johar tweets support Shah Rukh Khan

Director Karan Johar and superstar Shah Rukh Khan share a close friendship and have stood up in support of each other several times before. Karan has previously roped in Shah Rukh Khan for several films directed by him and produced by his production house and has worked with the superstar to jointly produce films too. In the past, Shah Rukh Khan has starred in Karan Johar directorial ventures like Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001), Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006) and My Name Is Khan (2010). Karan’s latest directorial venture, Student of the Year, was jointly produced with Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment.

As always, Karan Johar came out in strong support for his good friend Shah Rukh Khan after a recent controversy that involved the superstar. Karan, known for taking to the micro-blogging website Twitter to express his views, tweeted, “Ridiculous misinterpretation of @iamsrk`s` words…an extremely well written piece being subjected to political agenda…a shame!!!!” The actor also expressed his views saying, “Being a public figure makes me prone to any kind of questioning, good and bad and at sometimes and on sometimes makes me an object of controversy as people use my name and statements to attach any positive or negative sentiment to it. This is the life I chose and stand by it…I am, because of the love and admiration that comes with being who I am in my profession. I thank everyone for making me the star I am.”

While there have been rumors of a fall-out between Shah Rukh Khan and Karan Johar, the director-producer previously deemed them all untrue. Karan Johar will soon unveil his sixth film, Bombay Talkies, a short tribute to the 100 years of Hindi cinema.

Karan Johar speaks his mind about relationships and gay rumors

Maintaining relationships and friendships, particularly when you’re an extremely busy individual, isn’t easy. Well, Karan Johar, the director, producer, screenplay writer and talk-show host who has constantly been in the spotlight, feels the pressure of maintaining his bonds with those around him too. “Maintaining friendships is always difficult,” says Karan. “Keeping in touch with this busy life of ours is not easy, but it takes two to tango and I think I’m going to stop tangoing no    w, ’cause I think I’ve given up on just maintaining these bonds and equations, so some of them have to just self maintain, if at all. Or then diminish if they need to be, ’cause I don’t feel the need and urge to kind of hang on to something that only I’m hanging on to. So lots of these friendships are great and, while they’re solid, I feel the need to kind of back off in general, so that I can lead my own life and not have any kind of baggage in my head emotionally about trying to, kind of, feel any concern for any other human being in this profession, but myself.”

Karan Johar

The 40-year-old head of Dharma Productions, one of the biggest film-producing houses in India, prefers keeping his relationships out of the limelight. A person who keeps his private life and professional life far apart, Karan Johar went on to add, “As I said, when I turned 40 a lot changed for me physically like I feel like I need glasses now. And also a lot changed emotionally. I just finally don’t feel the need to be there for everyone all the time. I feel now people better start feeling the need to be there for me, if required, and if not then I’m very happy on my own.”

Karan Johar  has, on previous account, been subjected to link-ups and various rumors of being gay. To this, he says, “Obviously if you are single, you are 39, there will be conjecture about your sexuality and your orientation, I have no problem with that, and I am very comfortable with hearing all kinds of rumors of gay and all  that float around, I am very comfortable with what people have to say, their perception of my orientation, what they think, what all they think I am part of, and I have no problem with the territory I can’t be upset or angry about it.”

“I am not sure if I could be a director over TV,” says Karan Johar

Dharma Productions chief Karan Johar has been rolling out big-budget films since quite a while now. The director-producer has been known to spend lavishly on his directorial ventures. His first film, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), was produced for Rs. 8.33 crore. Karan Johar spent Rs. 40 crore and upwards for each of his following films, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham (2001), Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006), and My Name Is Khan in 2010. His latest film, Student of the Year, was created with a production cost of nearly Rs. 45 crore.

Karan Johar

And that isn’t all! This multifaceted filmmaker has made several television appearances lately, playing the judge for reality shows including India’s Got Talent and Jhalak Dikhla Ja. In the past, has hosted the hit television talk-show, Koffee with Karan. The filmmaker however prefers the big-screen to television. When asked about his plans to direct a TV-series, Karan Johar stated “Television is not for me behind the camera. I could be a judge, a host, but I am not sure if I could be a director over TV.”

For him, the film-industry is far more progressive as compared to its younger sibling, the Indian Television industry. Quoting Karan, “Indian television has its positives and negatives. It has a huge audience and some shows are very entertaining, but I think it needs to come out of its current zone.” Karan does however plan to continue hosting and judging television shows.

Up ahead, Karan Johar will release a few more films produced by Dharma Productions. One of these is Hasee Toh Phasee, Karan’s next film with his mentee, the Student of the Year actor Siddharth Malhotra.

Student of the Year – Karan Johar’s trend-breaking directorial venture

Karan Johar has been known to work with some of B-town’s biggest stars in his directorial ventures. In his previous films, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham (2001), Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006) and My Name Is Khan (2010), Karan has casted some of Bollywood’s most recognized names including Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Hrithik Roshan. His latest release however, title Student of the Year, was a step away from the rest. The film that released on the 19^th of October stars three debutants in the lead, Siddharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt, all of who have managed to charm audiences with their performances.

In this coming-of-age film, Siddharth Malhotra plays the role of the righteous and independent Abhimanyu Singh. A state-level runner and a brilliant student, Abhimanyu is competitive and a natural leader. Hailing from a Delhi-based middle class family, Abhimanyu seeks to fund his own education and is enrolled at the esteemed St. Theresa’s High School in Dehradun on a scholarship. At the school, Abhimanyu meets Rohan Nanda (Varun Dhawan), the son of a business tycoon. Arrogant and proud, Rohan locks horns with Abhimanyu. As the movie proceeds, Abhimanyu and Rohan beat all odds to nurture a friendship.

Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor also stars in this youth-centric film. Rishi plays the role of Dean Yogendra Vasisht, a gay and somewhat eccentric individual who presides over the school and introduces the idea of rivalry and competition in the school with the Student of the Year contest.

Student of the Year – Karan Johar’s glamorous and charming campus romance

When filmmaker Karan Johar sets out to create films, he’s bound to create one that grabs hearts, and that’s just what his latest release has achieved. The film titled Student of the Year, hit cinema screens on the 19^th of October, 2012. A campus romance revolving around themes like love, betrayal, rivalry and friendship, Student of the Year stars Siddharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt. The three portray the roles of students at an extravagantly well-heeled school in Dehradun.

Student of The Year

“I had this idea of a fictitious school and this competition in my head for a while, and there’s no such institution that exists in this world, and it’s a figment of my imagination. And I’m not athletic or sporty as you can see, so I put in all the sport dreams in this film and all the fun and games that I love about Hindi films is really in this. I even ended up doing a few remixes of some of my favorite yesteryear songs,” says the director-producer of the film,   Karan Johar.

Siddharth Malhotra plays Abhimanyu Singh in this film. An ambitious middle-class boy, Abhi is introduced to a new way of life when he enrolls at St. Teresa’s High School. Here, he crosses paths with wealthy students, one of who he befriends, Rohan Nanda (Varun Dhawan). Despite their initial bickering and their different backgrounds, Abhi and Rohan become the best of friends.

Things take a turn for the bad however when Abhi falls in love with Shanaya Sighania (Alia Bhatt), the prettiest student at school. Given the fact that Rohan is her boyfriend, he locks horns with his best friend Abhi. A rivalry sparks off between Abhi and Rohan when the school’s gay dean, Yogendra Vasisht (Rishi Kapoor), announces the Student of the Year competition.

So who wins the trophy and Shanaya’s heart? Watch this fabulous movie to find out!

Siddharth Malhotra speaks about contemporary Bollywood and his debut!

Siddharth Malhotra has been basking in the limelight ever since the announcement of his first film, Student of the Year. A Karan Johar film that released a few months ago, Student of the Year features Siddharth in the lead alongside two more newcomers, Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt. Rishi Kapoor also stars in the film, playing the role of a gay dean. A campus romance to be precise, Student of the Year has been a dream debut for Siddharth Malhotra, a model-turned-actor.

“In the Dharma office, when Manish (Malhotra) and writer Niranjan Iyengar saw the film after the first edit, they said my voice, my lanky arms reminded them of Young Bachchan. With all due respect to Mr. Bachchan, it really thrills me whenever someone says they get a whiff of him in me. Ek jhalak dikhti hai. Bliss!” says newcomer Siddharth, gushing-on about the compliments he received.

Apart from that, Siddharth also expressed his thoughts about contemporary Bollywood and went on to articulate, “I wish Hindi Cinema would pick socially relevant subjects and make films like No One Killed Jessica and Rang De Basanti. OMG! Oh My God had a great take on religion. I’d love to see more biopics. As an industry we should not bow down to diktats of the Censor Board. Precious time is lost dealing with stupid cases people file at the silliest pretext. We need to have a strong board that fights together.”

Siddharth’s first film, Student of the Year, released on the 19^th of October, 2012, and was proclaimed a blockbuster. He will next be seen in Karan Johar and Anurag Kashyap’s joint production, Hasee Toh Phasee, opposite Parineeti Chopra.

Karan Johar’s Student of the Year emphasizes teenage rivalry and campus romances

Not a lot of films remain in the mind of fans for long. Well, Karan Johar’s Student of the Year has indeed managed to create a mark for itself on the minds of fans in India and internationally. A campus romance that stars Siddharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt in the lead, Student of the Year was released on the 19^th of October, 2012. The film was proclaimed a blockbuster and continues to charm audiences.

Student of The Year

In Student of the Year, Siddharth, Varun and Alia play the roles of three students at a high-profiled school in Dehradun. Abhimanyu Singh (Siddharth), a middle-class boy with big dreams and ambitions, enrolls at the St. Teresa’s High School in Dehradun on a sports scholarship. Here, he crosses paths with Shanaya Singhania (Alia), the prettiest girl at school and her boyfriend Rohan Nanda (Varun), the son of a business tycoon.

As time flies, Abhimanyu ends up befriending Rohan and is introduced to an affluent lifestyle. Things however take a turn for the worse when Abhimanyu falls in love with Shanaya and she begins responding to his advances. When Rohan finds out, the two boys clash and their friendship burns down to a bitter rivalry.

To further push their rivalry to the limit, Rohan and Abhimanyu participate in the Student of the Year competition announced by the school’s gay dean, Yogendra Vasisht (Rishi Kapoor). The youngsters then begin battling it out in classrooms and on the playing field as they try to win Shanaya’s affection and the Student of the Year Trophy!

Not a lot of films remain in the mind of fans for long. Well, Karan Johar’s Student of the Year has indeed managed to create a mark for itself on the minds of fans in India and internationally. A campus romance that stars Siddharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt in the lead, Student of the Year was released on the 19^th of October, 2012. The film was proclaimed a blockbuster and continues to charm audiences.

In Student of the Year, Siddharth, Varun and Alia play the roles of three students at a high-profiled school in Dehradun. Abhimanyu Singh (Siddharth), a middle-class boy with big dreams and ambitions, enrolls at the St. Teresa’s High School in Dehradun on a sports scholarship. Here, he crosses paths with Shanaya Singhania (Alia), the prettiest girl at school and her boyfriend Rohan Nanda (Varun), the son of a business tycoon.

As time flies, Abhimanyu ends up befriending Rohan and is introduced to an affluent lifestyle. Things however take a turn for the worse when Abhimanyu falls in love with Shanaya and she begins responding to his advances. When Rohan finds out, the two boys clash and their friendship burns down to a bitter rivalry.

To further push their rivalry to the limit, Rohan and Abhimanyu participate in the Student of the Year competition announced by the school’s gay dean, Yogendra Vasisht (Rishi Kapoor). The youngsters then begin battling it out in classrooms and on the playing field as they try to win Shanaya’s affection and the Student of the Year Trophy!

“Twitter is like a different family all together,” says Siddharth Malhotra

B-town has taken an interest in the micro-blogging website, Twitter, and some of the biggest industry members have tweeted their thoughts including Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Karan Johar. A short while ago, following the example set by his mentor Karan Johar, newcomer Siddharth Malhotra too logged on to this soc

Siddharth Malhotra

ial networking platform.  Welcoming his mentee of Twitter, Karan Johar tweeted, “Sidharth Malhotra on twitter!!! @S1dharthM…..give him love people!!! (sic)” .

Siddharth also announced his arrival on Twitter with a post that said, “hey guys i am no longer a twitter virgin,initially had performance anxiety but what the heck,..thank u for all the SOTY love,big love Sid (sic)”. Now, after having spent a considerable amount of time tweeting away and enjoying a huge following of nearly 46,000 and more! “Twitter is like a different family all together. Two weeks ago I gave them an address. Now, I keep getting these beautiful gifts every second or third day. Someone’s giving me a card, girls giving me t-shirts, fans from Bangladesh and all over are sending in their love,” said Siddharth, adding, “It’s so thoughtful of them. I love them all. I get excited and humbled. As we speak, I have one more gift next to me. Thanks to that social medium. I wish I was a more regular at tweeting but I will get there soon. It takes time.”

Catch Siddharth Malhotra and Karan Johar on Twitter by following the handles @S1dharthM and @kjohar25.

Siddharth Malhotra speaks about stepping into B-town and making it big

Stepping into a big city and making it big isn’t easy. Most people struggle to catch-on with the quick pace of city life. Bollywood newcomer Siddharth Malhotra however, seems to have grasped it all instantly! A debutant who moved to Mumbai leaving behind a modeling career in Delhi, Siddharth made his first big-screen appearance in Karan Johar’s fifth directorial venture, Student of the Year. A dream debut for Siddharth, the film also stars debutants Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan, sharing lead space with Siddharth.

Siddharth Malhotra

“I mean actors look for a big launch but when someone like Karan Johar, who has never launched a newcomer actor before, is behind the film, the confidence level goes further up. In a way the scare factor too goes up since all eyes are on you to perform. It is particularly difficult when you are a complete outsider,” says Siddharth Malhotra who has no filmy background whatsoever, unlike his costars, Varun and Alia.

“I had come to Mumbai 4-5 years ago and before that I was just doing some part time modeling. I was young, excited and was happy making some money. However, ‘Student of the Year’ has indeed changed it all,” added Siddharth. Before Student of the Year, the actor worked as an assistant director to Karan Johar and worked with the filmmaker on the film My Name Is Khan.

Speaking about his stint as an assistant director, Siddharth Malhotra also articulated, “See, I know that it is basically filmy kids who starter their career as an Assistant Director. In that perspective it was a risk. However it was calculated. In any case it wasn’t as if I started off with that step as a part of my career move.”

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan rumored to make a comeback in Karan Johar’s next

When Karan Johar roped in three newcomers for his latest directorial venture, Student of the Year, the Dharma Productions chief managed to turn a load of heads. Known to cast some of Bollywood’s biggest stars, particularly Shah Rukh Khan, for the movies he directs, Karan Johar broke trends with Student of the Year and had newcomers Siddharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt star in the lead instead. Now, after the success of the glamorous campus romance that hit cinema screens on the 19^th of October, 2012, Karan Johar is rumored to have approached Aishwariya Rai Bachchan for his next.

Aishwariya Rai Bachchan

A source speaking to a renowned daily said, “Aishwarya was pleasantly surprised with the offer. They spoke at length about the movie that he intends to direct next. The script is currently being written. He intends to start the project by the year-end.” The 39-year-old actress has kept away from the big-screen due to her pregnancy and now after the birth of the Bachchan grandchild, Aishwariya seems all set to make film appearances once more!

Apart from this, Mrs. Bachchan has also been reported to have been offered projects by filmmakers Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Rajkumar Santoshi. None of these reports have been confirmed by the actress herself or the directors. Karan too hasn’t made any official statement in regards to these reports. A source close to Karan Johar also went ahead to disregard these claims saying, “There is no such film as Karan is currently busy with his short film.”