Karan Johar rumored to cast Shah Rukh Khan for Bombay Talkies

To celebrate the 100 years of Indian cinema, four directors will be joining hands to roll out a one-of-a-kind film called Bombay Talkies. One of the established directors who will be calling the shots for a portion of the film is Dharma Productions head, Karan Johar. The director will direct one of the four short-films that will be featured in Bombay Talkies. As always, there has been a lot of talk about Karan’s plans for the film.

Speculations have been ripe with rumors of Karan casting Shah Rukh Khan for the lead role in the film surfacing. However, Karan hasn’t confirmed any of the rumors and has instead claimed to have not cast anyone for the film yet! “I am currently in the pre-production stage and haven’t cast anyone. I just locked the screenplay a few days ago, and plan to start the shoot by the end of January,” says Karan Johar, speaking about the short film.

The film will be one of Karan Johar’s shortest films. The producer-director is known for creating particularly long films and squeezing in an entire story in a 20 minute time-frame seems like a trend breaker! Speaking about the same, Karan also articulated, “I am excited by this short film. It’s something I have never done before”.

Previously, Karan Johar has directed a bunch of films that include Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham (2001), Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006), My Name Is Khan (2010) and his recent release, Student of the Year (2012). All of these films have been blockbusters and Karan’s contribution to Bombay Talkies is expected to further push the film into the limelight. Bombay Talkies will release on the 3rd of May, 2013.

Karan Johar gives Bollywood a host of new actors and directors!

Karan Johar is more than one of India’s most sought-after producers. The Dharma Productions chief is also known for revolutionizing B-town’s attitude towards newcomers. He has been laying the brickwork for the careers of several newbies in the industry lately, including directors and actors too. Karan’s most recent film release, Student of the Year, stars four promising newcomers we’ll be seeing a load of in the future. The film has launched the careers of model-turned-actor Siddharth Malhotra, director David Dhawan’s son Varun Dhawan, filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt’s daughter Alia Bhatt and actor Boman Irani’s son Kayoze Irani.

Besides this, Karan has one previous account launched several directors. For Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003), a romantic drama film starring Shah Rukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Preity Zinta and Jaya Bachchan, Johar roped in Nikhil Advani, who later went on to direct blockbusters like Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute To Love (2007). And that’s not all. Karan has also launched director Tarun Mansukhani with Dostana (2008), Ayan Mukerji with Wake Up Sid (2009) Punit Malhotra (I Hate Luv Storys), Renzil D’Slive (Kurbaan), and his assistant director Sidharth Malhotra (We Are Family).

In the near future, Karan Johar will bring to the big-screen the film Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani directed by debutant Akshay Roy. Student of the Year is Karan Johar’s first with newcomers however and the director has stepped away from his usual movie-making strategy, roping in newcomers instead of big stars. 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,” articulated Karan, speaking about his debutants.

Is Karan Johar dating?

Karan Johar

Karan Johar has always been making headlines with the stupendous films he has been directing and producing under his Dharma Productions banner. The director of five films including Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham (2001), Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006), My Name Is Khan (2010) and Student of the Year (2012) and the producer of many more, Karan Johar has been lauded with praises for his multifaceted knack for the world of movies. And that’s not all. Given the fact that Karan is one of the industry’s most successful individuals, he has been asked about his personal life and relationships several times before. 

Speaking about his love life, Karan Johar articulated, “I have invariably been in love when I haven't had the same reciprocated emotion at all. I don't choose to talk about my personal life because I believe that I don't want to and I believe my personal life is personal.” The director has kept his life off-screen away from the prying eyes of the world at large. He went on to add, “I don't claim to have led a saintly life. There have been a lot of one-sided love stories in my life. I have seen more heart breaks than heart make...”

For Karan Johar, friendships and relationships in B-town aren’t like they used to be either. Quoting Karan Johar, “It's a dinosaur ... it's definitely a dying breed because I don't think people have the bandwidth emotionally to sustain friendships in our industry. You cannot have an equal connection with anyone. Somewhere if you play the subservient part you maintain a friendship - there is no such thing as an equal friendship.”

He might be the one who knows how to portray romance in the dreamiest sequences on-screen, but Karan Johar seems to know better. The veteran director understands fairytale romances to be limited to the world of movies and prefers staying married to his work and away from the realm of dating!

Siddharth Malhotra rubbishes rumors of dating Alia Bhatt

Siddharth Malhotra

Siddharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt have had a dream debut with Karan Johar’s Student of the Year. The film has worked as a perfect launch pad for the three debutants. Directed by Karan Johar, this film is jointly produced by Dharma Productions and Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment. A campus romance in essence, the film revolves around a love triangle that forms the basic premise of this film.

And as always, with fame comes a bunch of rumors. Some of these have claimed Siddharth Malhotra to be dating his co-star, the gorgeous Alia Bhatt. The two actors have however put these rumors to rest. In regards to the matter, Siddharth Malhotra articulated, "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." In a separate interview previously, Siddharth also said, “Everything written in the media should not be taken seriously. It's a mental game. You need to detach yourself from reviews, media, etc. How to survive before and after release too matters a lot.”

And it isn’t just Siddharth Malhotra who seems unaffected by these rumors. Quoting Alia, “My father (Mahesh Bhatt) had warned me that this would happen. I was prepared for these speculations. What I’m worried about is the expectations. People are just waiting to write you off. I’ve got this platform at an early age. Many girls would want to be in my shoes. I don’t want such false rumors to overshadow my work.”

In the film, Siddharth plays the role of Abhimanyu Singh aka Abhi while Alia Bhatt plays Shanaya Singhania. Varun Dhawan plays her boyfriend Rohan Nanda and the film also includes Rishi Kapoor playing a gay school dean.

Does Karan Johar’s protégé, Alia Bhatt, have a boyfriend?

Karan Johar has introduced three newcomers with his newest film, Student of the Year. Together, the three of them have given fans a load to look forward to. Termed as some of the most promising debutants of contemporary Bollywood, Siddharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt have managed to grab the attention of fans and industry bigwigs as well. A dream debut for the three of them, the young actors have been in the spotlight ever since Karan Johar first officially announced the film.

Alia Bhatt, the female lead in the film, has gathered a bunch of admirers too. The young actress is the daughter of filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt and has been termed as one of the prettiest youngsters in B-town. At the tender age of 19, Karan Johar’s mentee, Alia, has quickly turned into a prominent face, making headlines for her fresh performance in Student of the Year. And as we all know, with fame comes a load of speculation and a ton of rumors. Alia has been linked up several times now and went on to prove these rumors wrong saying, “My father (Mahesh Bhatt) had warned me that this would happen. I was prepared for these speculations. What I’m worried about is the expectations. People are just waiting to write you off. I’ve got this platform at an early age. Many girls would want to be in my shoes. I don’t want such false rumors to overshadow my work.”

The actress seems well prepared to beat down rumors and coming from a family rooted deep in Bollywood, she does seem to know how to react to it all! “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,” added the young actor, handpicked by director Karan Johar.

“We need to shake this industry with new energy,” says SOTY director Karan Johar

Student of  The Year

As always, director, producer and head of Dharma Productions, Karan Johar, has managed to grab the imagination and attention of the audience. Karan’s most recent directorial venture, Student of the Year, has been extremely well received by the audiences post its release on the 19th of October, 2012. The film is a campus romance starring three debutants, Siddharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt. “It’s not a path-breaking narrative. I think the freshness is because of them (Siddharth, Varun and Alia). The film would not have worked without new faces. There’s a paucity of acting talent and people are fed up of circling around the same male stars. When I read newspapers, I see the same 10 people saying the same thing. You start off sounding a little edgy and then you become politically correct. Actors are caught up in this whirlwind of the industry and I think that more fresh talent will challenge them. We need to shake this industry with new energy,” articulated Karan Johar.

The film is a flashback narrated by yet another promising debutant, actor Boman Irani’s son Kayoze Irani. The plot revolves around the story of three students at a prestigious academy called St. Teresa’s High School. In the film, Rohan Nanda (Varun Dhawan) is the son of a successful and wealthy business tycoon. A spoiled brat of sorts, Rohan has it all, yet pines for his father’s affection. Dating the school’s campus-sweetheart, Shanaya Singhania (Alia Bhatt), further adds to Rohan’s list of stuff to brag about.

However, the young swaggering lad with a good heart is challenged when Abhimanyu Singh (Siddharth Malhotra) steps on campus. A middle-class boy enrolled on a scholarship, Abhi manages to grab the spotlight, causing a rivalry between Rohan and him. Things further escalate when Abhi falls in love with Shanaya and her boyfriend Rohan finds out. As the plot unwinds, Rohan, Abhi and Shanaya finally enter a competition organized by the school’s gay and disciplinarian dean, Yogendra Vasisht (Rishi Kapoor).

Catch this glamorous campus romance by Karan Johar for some fantastic performances and a memorable soundtrack!

Siddharth Malhotra, Karan Johar’s latest find, is pleased with his big-screen debut

Siddharth Malhtora

Star-material is not easy to find. One such jewel in the crowd however is Karan Johar’s newest find, Siddharth Malhotra. The young actor has recently made his debut with Karan’s campus-romance, Student of the Year, alongside Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan. A model-turned-actor with no previous experience on the big-screen or a filmy background, Siddharth Malhotra has managed to grab the spotlight and make a memorable debut.

Siddharth began his career as a model in Delhi before moving to Mumbai to audition for a film directed by Anubhav Sinha. The film however failed to take off and Siddharth moved on to working as an assistant director for Karan Johar for the film My Name is Khan. “I came to Mumbai to be an actor. I was modelling in Delhi with my agency and then came to Mumbai for a film to be directed by Anubhav Sinha after Cash. It was being produced by Adlabs. My parents were surprised and I had to show them my contract but luckily that film never took off,” says Siddharth adding, “That's when I thought to stay back and try a bit out in the B-town. If it wasn't for the money I earned from my first producers for the film that didn't take off, I wouldn't have been here in Mumbai. That had to happen for me to come here. For me to try, I had to know how the film fraternity functions. So that's where assisting came up and I got My Name Is Khan.”

While working for My Name is Khan, his knack for movies was noticed by Karan Johar who handpicked Siddharth for the role of Abhimanyu Singh in Student of the Year. The plot revolves around a middle-class boy who enrolls at the prestigious St. Teresa’s School where he meets Shanaya Singhania (Alia Bhatt) and her boyfriend Rohan Nanda (Varun Dhawan). Abhi befriends Rohan and winds up falling in love with Shanaya, causing a love triangle to ensue.
The film released on the 19th of October, 2012 and also includes veteran actor Rishi Kapoor playing the role of a gay school dean named Yogendra Vasisht.