Karan Johar talks about not wasting time, making more films, joys, disappointments, loves and life!
The day's a different one than it usually is. And the KJo I meet with ahead of his upcoming film, My Name is Khan is also a decidedly different bloke. We chat nineteen to the dozen about quite a few things: making SRK
play imperfect men in his films, his views on the Farah-Shah Rukh Khan dosti going kaput, his love for retail therapy and several grouses. Read on...In KANK, you gave SRK a limp, and in MNIK you've given him a birth disorder. What's next?
(Laughs) I enjoyed making him play the scarred and cynical Dev in KANK because he has always played the perfect man, husband, son etc. But MNIK is different, because his disorder is very critical to the narrative. Rizwan Khan (SRK's character) could not be neuro-typical to do what he does in the film. There is something very clouded about what you and I are all about. We are far too cluttered and clouded and tuned in to too many things to be really, really honest at heart. We are all living in shades of grey. Rizwan needed to be an endearing, honest man. I guess it took a disorder to reach that level.
It's a sad world we live in...
Ya, but what Rizwan does despite his disorder is aspirational. Because in terms of goodness and humanity, you won't find people like him today.
In Hindi films, heroes are expected to be perfect. Yours is autistic.
Rizwan isn't a perfect hero... but what is the perfect hero anymore? I think SRK is playing a superhero in my film. He has more power -- humanity -- a forgotten force. He cannot see through your head, cannot fly, or jump from one building to another but he has that rare indelible quality, which is more powerful. It comes from an organic place in his heart. I'm hoping people buy into that.
You must feel proud to have 20th Century Fox as your distributor.
Jim Gianopulos, the main man in Fox, has a passion for doing something in India. I told him at the very beginning that I am not delusional about where we (Hindi cinema) are in the world. Filmmakers in India feel that if you have an international distributor, you can release in 2000 screens. No, they don't really give a rat's a**e about us. We are just a small part of the world to them, so let's not kid ourselves. We are not Slumdog Millionaire, an English language film by celebrated international director Danny Boyle. You have to know that what you do, you do for India, for Asia, and your loyal diaspora. First, cater to them. Don't even pretend to go anywhere else. So my idea of Fox was that they will give me a one per cent bigger platform. Maybe ten new territories will open up because of them. But beyond that, I am not expecting anything. Being at the Oscars' is wonderful but I'm happier winning awards here.
You haven't won any major awards after your debut, right?
After KKHH, my films have been nominated but I have never won any major award. There was always another film better than mine. Every film from Dharma has made me a slightly larger entity but has left me disappointed. In the year of K3G, I had to battle with Dil Chahta Hai and Lagaan. When Kal Ho Naa Ho released, there was Koi Mil Gaya. And during KANK, I was combating Rang De... and Munnabhai. There has always been a sinking feeling with every film. I am kind of used to that now. I don't know when I last celebrated a success like a hundred per cent. Like, 'oh shit. I want to throw a party, look what happened. Everyone has loved my film รข€" the classes, the masses, the critics, the trade'. I feel I don't get that all-round acceptance because I am not an underdog. I look like I am having a great time at a party, people think I am a picture of affluence in front rows, and when I host there is a certain aplomb, so people think, 'He is looking too happy in a black suit, so sc**w him.' I think stubble, messy hair, shabby dressing and thirty kilos more and I will be fine. That will be my marketing gimmick post-Khan.
MNIK is your most expensive film. Are you ever going to learn budgeting?
(sighs) No. I am ashamed of myself. I am appalled my sense of spending vis-a-vis budgeting. I am really disgusting. And I apologise to all concerned. It's a good thing I make movies for my banner... No one should ever hire me as a director. My own company should stop hiring me. I think we should just encourage younger talents to make films for my banner.
And who will control them?
My CEO and me... I pretty much try. I try to pretend to be savvy with them.
Despite the money spent (89 crores) opulence in Khan is missing. In terms of special effects, sets, songs, and costumes etc, right?
Yes. The spending won't show. We tend to associate money spent with opulence. But here, there is a lot of subtle but large expenditure. We had two very large schedules. One in LA and the other in San Francisco. It's a journey film, so we had marathon (250) location shifts. We had a large American cast and a lot of crowd scenes. We had to adhere to rules and regulations that actually do impact the budget in a large way.
The decision to bring SRK's Red Chillies and your Dharma together: an emotional decision or a financial one?
Entirely emotional to start off with. And then financial. I told Shah Rukh, 'The budget is so high, I have no money to pay you.' But more than anything else, I wanted Aryan and Suhana (SRK's children) to own this film. We are very proud of the fact that we made this film which has a very powerful message that we are trying to give very subliminally. It is a quintessential Shah Rukh Khan film, in terms of the character he plays, and what he is trying to say. And I felt very strongly that the kids must have this property with them.
Source: http://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/2010/jan/180110-Karan-Johar-MNIK-Part1.htm
http://shahrukhkhanz.blogspot.com
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