Karan Johar personally mentors Siddharth, Varun and Alia for Student of the Year

Student of the Year

For his previous films, Karan Johar has been known to splash cash around and draw up big budgets, roping in larger-than-life stars for all of his stories. After having directed Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham (2001), Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006) and My Name Is Khan (2010), all packing Bollywood bigwigs including the likes of Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Kareena Kapoor, Kajol and Hrithik Roshan, Karan Johar will step away from his usual mix for his upcoming film titled Student of the Year. A campus romance to be precise, the film stars newcomers Siddharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt. This however hasn’t kept Karan from setting an equally high budget for his upcoming film. The movie will be just as glamorous and glitzy as his previous releases and will work as a launch-pad for Siddharth, Varun and Alia.

When asked about his choice of actors for his next release, Karan says “In a star-ridden industry such as ours, launching new talents on such a large scale is always a risk. But nothing ventured, nothing gained. I have never felt more proud.” The director, also the head of Dharma productions, has on previous account launched several directors including Punit Malhotra, Renzil D’Silva, Nikhil Advani, Tarun Mansukhani and Ayan Mukerji. This will however be his first time with new actors and the director-producer is enthusiastic about his upcoming film. “After all, there are just as many people who are big and up there. So unless we take the onus, and leverage our position to create new stars, we’ll be running dry soon. I have never worked with newcomers before. But I realized it was time and took up the challenge,” says Karan.

Besides discovering these promising newcomers, Karan Johar has also groomed and trained them, helping them master the trade of acting on the silver screen. The director has played the role of a mentor, coaching Siddharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt for the film.  Quoting Karan Johar, “Hindi cinema has taken a quantum leap in every aspect of its functioning.” There have also been reports of the newcomers signing an exclusive contract with Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions. Siddharth Malhotra however rubbishes the claim and goes on to state “Please see for yourself how we do in Student Of The Year and post that, spread the word. Yes, we are free to sign up with whoever signs us up.”

Student of the Year will release on the 19th of October, 2012, and is expected to give the box-office a hay day.