Karan Johar’s Gori Tere Pyaar Mein goes on floors!

The film industry today is changing. Gone are the days of love stories and romantic escapades. The Indian film industry is now welcoming socially-relevant films and more. Dharma Productions chief, Karan Johar, thinks the same too. According to him, a changing film industry will give the Indian audiences a lot more to look forward to. The director-producer released his fifth film, Student of the Year, a few months ago. He is now tied up with the production of films under his Dharma Productions banner, including Hasee Toh Phasee and Gori Tere Pyar Mein.

“Well, we’ve been through a sea change,” says Karan, adding, “I mean everything has changed, the whole platforming has changed. Everything, the way we market, project, make our movies, the way we schedule them, the way we budget them… I’ve been through the interim zone, where I came in ‘98 with my first film and I was an AD in ’95. What those days were and what today is, there’s no comparison. It’s like far more organized in that respect.”

But a changing world and shifting times and movie-making techniques isn’t always a good thing. “Of course the people are equally messed up and the world is that much more idiotic, but at the end of the day the cinema process is much more modern, more exciting, more evolved. We’re still dealing with the same things emotionally, we still have fragile egos, we still have deep levels of insecurities we still have complexities that some of the actors, actresses, technicians bring to the table,” adds Kara Johar.

Recently, Karan announced the shoot-beginning of Gori Tere Pyar Mein. The film, starring Imran Khan and Kareena Kapoor, has hit the floors and Karan confirmed the same with a tweet, saying, “Our IMRAN-KAREENA starrer starts today…Gori Tere Pyaar Mein!!! Directed by @punitdmalhotra….#goriterepyaarmein.(sic)”

Karan Johar – The master of filmmaking

Filmmaking is an art not many have successfully mastered. However, when it comes to director-producer Karan Johar, rolling out blockbusters time and again comes naturally. Heading his own production house Dharma Productions, one of the biggest in Bollywood, Karan Johar has carved a mark for himself in the world of filmmaking. Passionate and completely in love with movies, Karan Johar has won a load of acclaim from fans, his peers and the industry as a whole for his fool-proof film-making trends.

Karan Johar

Karan, the son of the late filmmaker Yash Johar, was born in Mumbai and completed his education at the HR College of Commerce and Economics. He later assisted Aditya Chopra in the making of the film ‘Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge’, a move that introduced him to the subtle art of directing movies. From there on, Karan Johar went on to unveil bestselling movies, beginning with the 1990 hit ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’. Besides this, Karan has also directed the films Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham (2001), Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006), My Name Is Khan (2010) and Student of the Year (2012).

And that’s not all. His production house has produced several films and launched a bunch of new directors. Karan Johar is synonymous with glamour and panache, a fact that is portrayed in all of his films. The director also tends to include larger-than-life characters in his films, giving viewers a fantastical experience unlike any other. A crafter of dreams indeed, the 40-year-old director has dedicated the best of his years to making movies.

Karan is currently working on the post-production of his upcoming release, Bombay Talkies. This will be a 20-minute short film that will pay tribute to the 100 years of Hindi cinema

Rishi Kapoor speaks about his gay role in Karan Johar’s blockbuster, SOTY

Karan Johar’s fifth directorial venture, Student of the Year, was marked as a trend-breaker. A campus-romance starring Siddharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt, Student of the Year was one of the biggest blockbusters of 2012! This was the trio’s first big-screen appearance and gave the box office a hay day.

Besides Siddharth, Varun and Alia, the film also stars veteran actor Rishi Kapoor and television stars Ram Kapoor and Ronit Roy. Known as one of Bollywood’s finest romantic actors of the days gone by, Rishi Kapoor plays a bold and eccentric character. The actor donned the role of a gay college dean named Yogendra Vasisht. A role unlike any other Rishi Kapoor has played before, his performance in the film was praised.

In Student of the Year, Yogendra Vasisht is projected to have a soft corner for Ronit Roy’s character. “Yes, my character is soft on Ronit in Student of the Year. Why not? I play the dean of the college. And yes, my character is gay.  It’s one of the most important roles of my career at the moment. This is the time of my career when I get to experiment. I don’t want to play the conventional father. Besides, I can’t say no to Karan Johar,” said Rishi Kapoor, before the film’s release.

In Student of the Year, Siddharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt play the roles of Abhimanyu Singh aka Abhi, Rohan Nanda and Shanaya Singhania. After being enrolled at an esteemed school in Dehradun, the three meet, become friends, fall in love and eventually compete with each other to win the prestigious Student of the Year Trophy.

Karan Johar’s tale of friendship and love, Student of the Year!

Karan Johar seems to have gone all out with the glamour quotient for his fifth film, Student of the Year. This campus romance is fun and is an extravaganza. Starring newcomers Siddharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt in the lead, with Boman Irani’s lad Kayoze Irani in a supporting role, the film has the Karan Johar touch!

Set in the campus of the St. Teresa’s High School in Dehradun, Student of the Year was the Dharma Productions chief’s latest blockbuster. One of India’s most prestigious educational academies, the school plays home to students from rich and influential families as well as those from the middle class, nicknamed the “Bata” gang. In the film, Varun Dhawan plays Rohan Nanda, the Nanda Industries scion and the most popular hunk on the campus. Rohan is seen dating the campus sweetheart, Shanaya Singhania, played by Alia Bhatt. Things come to a grinding halt for Rohan however, when Abhimanyu Singh aka Abhi (Siddharth Malhotra) enrolls at the school on a sports scholarship. Hailing from a middle class background, his style and attitude manages to grab the spotlight from Rohan who in turn reciprocates with jealousy. The two however befriend each other due to circumstances and become best friends.

The plot takes a twist when Abhi falls in love with Shanaya, despite knowing the fact that she is dating Rohan. The school’s gay and overly-enthusiastic dean Yogendra Vasisht (Rishi Kapoor) then announces the Student of the Year competition, causing the trio to lock horns and compete for the trophy. Catch Varun, Alia and Siddharth spectacular debut performance in Karan Johar’s fifth directorial venture, Student of the Year.

Karan Johar’s blockbuster of the year, SOTY!

When Karan Johar first gave the world a look at his upcoming film, “Student of the Year”, on Twitter, the poster set tinsel-town abuzz. Posted by Karan himself, the image features three students wearing identical t-shirts with their names on their backs. The director Tweeted the image to be “The Student of the Year (SOTY) teaser poster”.

As expected, this Karan Johar directorial venture was termed a hit. Released on the 19^th of October, 2012, the film starred Siddharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt. Abhimanyu Singh (Siddharth) enrolls at a well-heeled school with students hailing from some of the richest families around, unlike his own middle-class background. A sportsman by heart, his background does not keep Abhi from quickly turning into the center of attention, stealing the spotlight from Rohan Nanda (Varun), the son of a business tycoon.

As expected, a rivalry ensues. Situations bring the two foes together however as Abhi and Rohan become best friends. Meanwhile, Abhi is introduced to Shanaya Singhania (Alia), the prettiest girl at school. Despite the fact that his best friend Rohan is Shanaya’s boyfriend, Abhi finds himself falling head over heels for her. Unknowingly, Shanaya too begins reciprocating his feelings. When her boyfriend Rohan stumbles across the truth, his friendship with Abhi comes to an abrupt end.

The film was co-directed by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions and Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment.

“I knew that they had potential to face the camera,” says Karan Johar, speaking about his students

A few months ago, Karan Johar released his fifth directorial venture, Student of the Year. The movie starred Siddharth Malhotra, Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan making their first big-screen appearance. Quoting Karan, “Siddharth Malhotra as well as Varun Dhawan had assisted me in “My Name Is Khan” and were involved in the process of production right throughout. Moreover they also observed me quite closely as a director. What I like about them is that they are totally different from each other, be in terms of personality or energy. I realized that they had the faces that were for cinema and it was about time that they were seen on the big screen”.

According to the veteran director, his leading male actors had personalities perfect for the big screen. This was the first time Karan Johar worked with a host of newcomers. Previously, Karan has casted the likes of Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Hrithik Roshan, Saif Ali Khan and Kajol. Also, every one of Karan Johar’s previous directorial ventures has starred Shah Rukh Khan in the lead. Student of the Year was the director’s first without the actor, who he considers to be a lucky charm.

The newcomers Siddharth Malhotra, Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan were trained and mentored by Karan himself for the upcoming film. “We did workshops and they were found to be right for the roles. They have this enduring charm to them and though they had some rough edges, I knew that they had potential to face the camera. Moreover after watching the film, you would realize that they have this correct celluloid presence. While Siddharth has the right restraint to play Abhi, Varun carries good enough flamboyance to play Rohan,” says Karan.

The film released on the 19^th of October, 2012, and was proclaimed a blockbuster.

Karan Johar’s students, Siddharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt aren’t dating

Being famous usually leads to a bunch of rumors spreading around. The newest victims of gossip have been Karan Johar’s “students”, Varun Dhawan and Siddharth Malhotra. The two hot hunks have constantly been linked ever since they first made an appearance in Karan Johar’s fifth directorial venture, Student of the Year, starring in the lead alongside Alia Bhatt. The dazzling and charming Siddharth Malhotra and Varun Dhawan are both rumored to be dating before, a fact that left a bunch of female fans disappointed. While Siddharth Malhotra was said to be dating, a Costa Rican model he met on his trip to the United States when assisting Karan Johar for the film “My Name Is Khan”, Varun Dhawan was rumored to be dating a Mumbai-based girl.

As expected, the news was all untrue and the two youngsters prefer a single life! “Aaah, no I am not involved with anyone right now and there is no dating-shating happening. People who have been in this journey of mine are my family members and very close friends. Beyond that there is no one else in my close relation with,” said Siddharth Malhotra. Varun has also recently been linked up to his co-star, Alia Bhatt. In a previous interview, Alia went on to add, “I don’t really care about people discussing my personal life. I’m fond of Varun and Sid but no I’m not going out with either. And no, I have no boyfriend in Bandra. A boyfriend doesn’t really fit into my scheme of things right now. My boyfriend is Student of the Year.”

Dostana director, Tarun Mansukhani, assists Karan Johar with Bombay Talkies

Dharma Productions’ romantic comedy, Dostana, was termed a blockbuster on its release and starred Abhishek Bachchan alongside John Abraham and Priyanka Chopra in the lead, with the boys playing the roles of a duo pretending to be gay. The director of this hit film, Tarun Mansukhani, launched by Karan Johar’s production house, will assist him for Bombay Talkies. Previously, Tarun has worked with Karan Johar for the films Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham and Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna.

Bombay Talkies is a tribute to the 100 years of Hindi cinema and will include four short films, each directed by Zoya Akhtar, Dibakar Banerjee, Anurag Kashyap and Karan Johar. Karan’s short film runs for 20 minutes and stars seasoned actors like Rani Mukherji and Randeep Hooda. This is one of the filmmaker’s most challenging films, given the fact that he has previously dished out films running for more than 200 minutes each. . “For me, it’s a challenging format. We have 20 minutes to tell a story, which is coherent and connected to the other plots. This can be a challenge for any filmmaker,” said Karan previously, speaking about his sixth directorial venture.

A few months ago, Karan released the campus romance Student of the Year, starring three newcomers in the lead, Siddharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt. While the trio plays the roles of school students, veteran actor Rishi Kapoor also starred in this film, playing a gay school dean. Just like his previous hits, the film Bombay Talkies is also expected to grab a lot of attention.

Varun Dhawan to sing in his upcoming film, Main Tera Hero!

Varun Dhawan made a perfect Bollywood debut in the Karan Johar  film, Student of the Year, playing actress Alia Bhatt’s boyfriend. The young actor is now working on his next film, a directorial venture by his veteran filmmaker father, David Dhawan. Titled Main Tera Hero, the upcoming film is a remake of a Telugu blockbuster, Kandireega and will be produced by Ekta Kapoor’s production house, Balaji Motion Pictures.

Main Tera Hero

For his next big-screen appearance, Varun Dhawan has been preparing hard and is currently being trained by Priyanka Chopra’s music trainer, Samantha Edwards, who will polish the actor’s singing skills.  A source close to the actor recently said, “A scene from the movie (‘Main Tera Hero’) involves Varun, who plays the role of a musician, singing at a pitch that goes from high to low. It might seem like a small thing to some but Varun decided to train so that his singing appears effortless.”

Varun also articulated his thoughts about the upcoming Main Tera Hero, saying, “The prepa

ration for my father’s film is going good. The script is still being worked on. We both are very excited about this project.”

His training will also help him in an upcoming rumored film in which the hunk will play a musician. Speaking about the same, an insider reported, “It’s a thriller in which he will play a musician. If all goes well, the film might start by the end of this year. We’ve also heard that Varun chose to undergo training on his own. Dhawan Sr. did not ask him to learn. He’s been going for classes for the past couple of weeks. The training will go on till May.”

Karan Johar’s Bombay Talkies short film to star Randeep Hooda with Rani Mukherji

The Dharma Productions honcho, Karan Johar, has been known for filming at elaborate locations. While he has shot his previous directorial ventures, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001), Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006), My Name Is Khan (2010) and Student of the Year (2012), at locations that work as beautiful backdrops, the filmmakers next will use a less extravagant backdrop. The film, Bombay Talkies, is compromised of four-short films directed by Karan Johar, Zoya Akhtar, Dibakar Banerjee and Anurag Kashyap. For his part in the film,

Randee Hudda

Karan Johar has roped in actors Rani Mukerji and Randeep Hooda with Saqib Saleem.

Rani Mukherji and Randeep Hooda will star together for the first time and will play a married couple in the film. Karan has shot parts of this 20-minute short-film at a suburban Mumbai railway station. A source close to the filmmaker said, “Karan, who usually shoots in elaborate locations, will now shoot on the streets and other actual places.” For Karan Johar, a filmmaker synonymous with longer films that usually run over 200-minutes, Bombay Talkies will be a trend-breaker of sorts. “For me, it’s a challenging format. We have 20 minutes to tell a story, which is coherent and connected to the other plots. This can be a challenge for any filmmaker,” said Karan.

Karan Johar’s Bombay Talkies will release on the 3^rd of May, 2013, and will commemorate the 100 years of Hindi cinema. The release will also mark the date the Father of Indian cinema, Dadasaheb Phalke, released Raja Harishchandra, India’s first motion picture.