Sachiin Joshi parts with film title for Karan Johar

B-town certainly isn’t all about just rumors, link-ups, broken relationships and cut-throat competition. Filmmaker Karan Johar seems to understand this best and was recently surprised by his peer, Sachiin Joshi. The latter was looking forward to sculpting a film titled 'Gutkha Wars'. However, Karan Johar too seemed to have a film with a similar name in his mind and realized Sachiin had already picked and registered the name for his upcoming project.

So, Karan approached Sachiin for the title and a single conversation won him the title! The filmmaker went out of his way to give the Dharma Productions chief his film’s title. A source said, "Sachiin had plans to make a film by the same name, but when Karan requested, he immediately agreed to give it away." Overwhelmed by the move, Karan Johar confirmed this news, saying, "Gestures like these are very rare in our industry. It was very kind of Sachiin to part with the title. I just called him once and he made it happen. I was extremely touched."

Sachiin too went on to say, "Who says Bollywood is only about star wars, rivalry and gossip? There is camaraderie, too, making this place interesting and sometimes also unpredictable." The upcoming film titled Gutkha will apparently be directed by Punit Malhotra. This film is rumored to be a joint production by Karan Johar and Akshay Kumar and will also star the actor in the lead.

Karan Johar speaks about launching new talent in B-town

Karan Johar, one of Bollywood’s most multifaceted filmmakers, has taken a step away from the conventional and launched several new faces and talent in the films he has rolled out on previous instances. Karan has, in the past, directed five films, all of which were crowned blockbusters and have done extremely well at the box office. These films include 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). He has launched several directors too with the films he produces under his production-house banner, Dharma Productions, including Nikhil Advani, Tarun Mansukhani, Ayan Mukerji and Punit Malhotra amongst others.

In his latest directorial venture, Karan introduced four debuting actors, Siddharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt and Kayoze Irani. From them all, Siddharth is the only newcomer with no filmy background whatsoever. Varun is the son of filmmaker David Dhawan while Alia is the daughter of Mahesh Bhatt. Kayoze on the other hand is the son of actor Boman Irani. Speaking about introducing newcomers in B-town, Karan recently said, "I see what people go through to get into the industry and I know I could have never done that. That is why I am launching as many new directors at Dharma Productions. I want to give back to the industry."

The Dharma Productions chief understands just how difficult it is to venture into B-town, particularly when one has no film-related background. Karan took the model-turned-actor Siddharth Malhotra under his wing and mentored him to perfection for his role in Student of the Year.

“I put in all the sport dreams in this film,” says Karan Johar, speaking about SOTY

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 19th 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.

“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!

“I want to give back to the industry," says Karan Johar

Karan Johar has given the Indian and international audiences several blockbuster films that have captured the imagination of many and charmed his fans over and over again. These films that include 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), have all set a certain benchmark in B-town, giving the filmmaker the limelight he deserves. The son of the late producer Yash Johar, Karan today heads Dharma Productions and has also produced several film sunder his banner. And now, Karan is looking to bring about transcendence in the Bollywood industry.

Karan Johar has stepped away from the usual film-making rituals of casting Bollywood bigwigs for roles in his films. Instead, he has been casting newcomers in lead roles, giving the audiences a taste of fresh new cinema. With his latest directorial venture, Student of the Year, Karan launched Varun Dhawan, Siddharth Malhotra, Alia Bhatt and Kayoze Irani, four newcomers who won the hearts of the audiences and have begun their journey to a long and fulfilling career in Bollywood. However, being an outsider with no filmy-background can make things more difficult for a debutant and Karan Johar recently went on to articulate about this, saying, "I see what people go through to get into the industry and I know I could have never done that. That is why I am launching as many new directors at Dharma Productions. I want to give back to the industry."

One of Karan Johar’s own mentees, Siddharth Malhotra, comes from a non-filmy background. The actor worked as a model before and was noticed by Karan Johar while working as an Assistant Director for the film My Name is Khan.

“My company is a spouse I will never cheat on,” says filmmaker Karan Johar

Karan Johar is indeed one of B-town’s most successful producers. Multifaceted and extremely talented, Karan has been crowned as one of the most sought-after filmmakers of contemporary Hindi cinema. After giving the Indian audiences several films revolving around love, Karan has however decided to keep away from the realm of dating and relationships. The veteran director has chosen to keep his life at home away from his profession of making movies.

While speaking about his thoughts on marriage in the past, Karan Johar articulated, “I believe there are some really beautiful and immaculately solid marriages still! In fact I know how much my father meant to my mother. What a beautiful marriage they had and I am blessed to have grown up in such a marriage. I feel what a spouse can do for you, no child or parent can. Just that if you get the right connect with your spouse, you get it going right.”

Previously, Karan has been rumored to plan a marriage, though, none of which were remotely true. Quoting Karan Johar, “Right now I am not ready for any kind of relationship as I am too used to my independence. Marriage is a definite no-no. I am totally married to my company. Emotionally, my mother fills up the void in my life. So there it is. My company is a spouse I will never cheat on, and my mother completes me as a son. I think I have a full family unit of my own. I am happy probably because I am single. Let’s face it, how many married people are really happy? Just kidding (laughs)!”

Karan Johar personally mentors newcomer Saqib Saleem

Karan Johar has been known to mentor newbies, polish them to perfection and launch them to a long and fulfilling career. In the past, the Dharma Productions chief has launched several directors including Nikhil Advani, Tarun Mansukhani, Ayan Mukerji and Punit Malhotra amongst others. And that’s not all. With his fifth directorial venture, Karan Johar paved the way for newcomers Siddharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt and Kayoze Irani. The four debutants had a spectacular debut in this campus romance and Siddharth, Alia and Varun have already signed their next films which will soon hit cinema screens in India and around the globe.

Well, that’s not where Karan Johar’s mentoring skills stop. The director-producer has recently taken up the task of polishing actor Saqib Saleem to perfection. The newcomer will make his debut in a soon-to-release film by Y Films titled Mere Dad Ki Maruti. Karan Johar has also roped in Saqib for a role in his upcoming directorial venture, a short-film that will be part of Bombay Talkies. Saqib will star in the film’s lead alongside seasoned actors Randeep Hooda and Rani Mukherji.

The young actor is pretty excited about this and a source close to him recently revealed, “Saqib has been planning to keep the special screen soon for Karan. He is very excited to show Karan is acting skills. He has been in talks with YRF to allot him a screen and time for the screening only for Karan.” While the film Mere Dad Ki Maruti will release on the 15th of March, 2013, Karan Johar’s Bombay Talkies short film will release on the 3rd of May. Parts of the film will also be directed by the filmmakers Zoya Akhtar, Anurag Kashyap and Dibaker Banerjee.

Varun Dhawan rushes to fan’s help at a college event

Varun Dhawan seems to be having a pretty amazing time in B-town. After having shot to fame with his debut in Karan Johar’s Student of the Year, starring in the lead alongside Siddharth Malhotra and Alia Bhatt, Varun pretty much carved a place for himself in the hearts and minds of many. The actor has attained a huge fan-base, made up of teenagers, particularly girls who simply can’t stop gushing over him. The actor has been making several appearances, including college events.

At a recent event at SRCC college, Varun took the stage and had the crowds cheering and roaring. In the midst of it all however, a boy fell off stage and hurt himself. As the crowd turned unruly and security began to intervene, Varun was reported to being moved away to safety. However, on seeing the boy falling off, he youngster rushed to his aide and helped him back on stage, much to the applause and appreciation of the crowd!

There is no doubt that Varun Dhawan has indeed impressed his fans with his actions. Despite that, there have been a few rumors of the actor dating his Student of the year co-star, Alia Bhatt. The actress denied these allegations, saying, “I don’t really care about people discussing my personal life. I’m fond of Varun and Sid (Siddharth Malhotra) 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.”