Johar apologises for using 'Bombay' in 'Wake Up Sid'

Film-maker Karan Johar on Friday apologised for using the word 'Bombay' instead of 'Mumbai' in his new film 'Wake Up Sid'.

"We apologise, we used the word 'Bombay' in the film. We didn't mean to hurt anybody' s sentiments," said Johar after his meeting with MNS chief Raj Thackeray at his residence here.

Karan Johar met Thackeray after party activists stopped the screening of the film in some cinema halls here. He was reportedly discussed the issue with him.

He further said that a disclaimer would now be carried in the beginning of the film.

'Wake Up Sid' is a story of Sidharth Mehra played by Ranbir Kapoor, an unmotivated boy from Mumbai, whose life undergoes a series of changes after taking his final year college exams.

The film is produced by Hiroo Yash Johar and Karan Johar and directed by Ayan Mukherji.

Wake up call for Karan Johar over his new movie ‘Wake Up Sid’

Filmmaker Karan Johar got a rude wake-up call Friday when Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) activists protested the use of ‘Bombay’ instead of Mumbai in his latest movie “Wake Up Sid” as soon as it was released.

Directed by Ayan Mukerji, the film, starring Ranbir Kapoor and Konkona Sen Sharma, is the latest offering from Dharma Productions Pvt Ltd.

Even as angry activists vociferously protested the movie and tried to disrupt its screening in at least two south Mumbai cinemas, a harried Karan rushed to meet MNS chief Raj Thackeray at his Shivaji Park residence.

“He has tendered an unconditional apology for this faux pas which the party has taken serious note of,” MNS vice-president Vageesh Saraswat said.

Emerging from the meeting a short while ago, an aggressive Raj said that such things (using ‘Bombay’ instead of Mumbai) would not be tolerated and Karan has realised his mistake.

“He has sought time from us to rectify the error. We shall wait for three-four days before the next step,” Raj told mediapersons outside his residence.

To a query, he said that not only the directors, but all persons connected with filmmaking and other fields must ensure that Mumbai is used in place of ‘Bombay’.

“When the names of other cities like Delhi and Chennai are not changed, why should Mumbai be change to ‘Bombay’?” he thundered.

Saraswat said that Karan explained to Raj the complications about deleting and replacing ‘Bombay’ with Mumbai since over 700 prints have been sent worldwide for a simultaneous release.

“However, Karan Johar assured the MNS chief that he would be able to insert an apology at the start of the movie. We shall wait and watch. If the apology is not shown as promised, we shall plan our further steps in the matter,” Saraswat warned.

“Wake Up Sid” has been released in 42 cinema halls in Mumbai alone and another 150 in the rest of Maharashtra, according to an industry analyst.

There's no Karan Johar element in 'Wake Up Sid': Karan Johar

Once the script of "Wake Up Sid" was ready, the star cast finalised and shooting of the film commenced, producer Karan Johar says he completely backed off and let first time director Ayan Mukerji run the entire show.

"There isn't any Karan Johar element that you would see in 'Wake Up Sid'. It doesn't have any gloss, glamour or grandeur that one associates with me. In fact, it doesn't have any pre-requisite that one expects from a Dharma Productions," said Karan.

Karan, who has directed hits like "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" and "Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham", has produced this Ranbir Kapoor-Konkona Sen Sharma- starrer that releases on Friday.

For him it is the dawn of a new era for Dharma Productions as newer filmmakers are joining the banner, aspiring to make some pathbreaking yet commercial cinema.

"Yes, now is the time for new age Dharma Productions to start making a mark. It's a new reality that we are facing and new energy we are experiencing. This is what is keeping me so excited because I have a number of movies in production, all of which are being made by different filmmakers."

After Mukerji, another debutant director Rensil D'Souza will release his "Kurbaan" in November. Tarun Mansukhani is getting animation flick "Koochie Koochie Hota Hai" in place while working on "Dostana 2".

First timer Siddharth Malhotra has finished ground work on the Hindi remake of "Stepmom", while debutant Punit Malhotra's "I Hate Love Stories" is also in the pipeline.

His Dharma Productions has roped in another newcomer, Karan Malhotra, to direct the "Agneepath" remake, while Karan's own "My Name Is Khan" is scheduled for an early 2010 release.

"With so many films in different stages of production, it would be unfair on my part to be involved in each and every aspect of filmmaking. When I get someone to direct a film, I better allow him to take over the reins while being there for support only if required.

"This was the guiding principle that I applied for 'Wake Up Sid' too. I backed off completely once it came on floors. In fact, I didn't even get into the music or the look of the film; I wanted Ayan to visualise it all and take decisions. I didn't want to clutter his way of thinking by giving any unnecessary advice," said Karan.

He is glad with his decision to rope in Mukerji, who is Kajol's cousin, for "Wake Up Sid".

"The only person who could have done 'Wake Up Sid' was Ayan. It was his idea and he is the one who could do complete justice to it since he is younger and in the same zone as Sid, the protagonist. There was no way I could have come into his way and bring in some kind of fantastical aspect to the plot," Karan said.

"Why should I come in the way of any filmmaker's vision? It's their baby and it should not necessarily look the way I want it. I don't want them to be me. I want my directors to be their own brand," he added.

My Name is Khan Flooding woes

Trust Karan Johar to make his film look perfect. The director has already worked on making his film set for My Name Is Khan look authentic. He is now planning to shoot for a flood sequence on the sets and has ordered for liters of water in tankers for the scene. But the kind director that he is, he did not want the team to fall sick after shooting for the whole day in waist-deep water. For that reason he got waterproof costumes made by designer Shiraj Siddiqui.

Karan is anxious, as this will be a difficult and intricate scene. The whole set will be under water for the next few days. This will be one of the most important parts of the film. Karan is very worried about the unit’s health so everyone except for Shahrukh and Kajol will be wearing waterproof costumes, as the lead actors have to be seen in their look for the film.

Karan Johar’s fair play

In Bollywood everyone is in a rush to make big money as much as they can, and as fast as they can. But Karan Johar seems to be totally a class apart. A trade source has revealed an interesting incident involving KJo and Yash Raj Films which makes us salute the multitalented filmmaker cum show host.

Our source narrates, “After watching the first copy of his Dostana, Karan had returned part of the Minimum Guarantee royalty amount he had received from Yash and Aditya Chopra towards the worldwide rights of the film because he felt, he had overcharged them. Although Karan will not reveal a word about the refund, the source tells us that he (Karan) felt that since the film was very urban in its content, as it was a comedy about purported gays, it would run mainly in the cities even though it would be perceived as a hit.”

“Rather than wait for the public to pronounce its judgement and then refund part of the Minimum Guarantee royalty amount, Karan used his discretion and sense of fair play to return it before the film’s release. It may be recalled that Dostana was the first film for which the Chopras paid Minimum Guarantee royalty. Their earlier acquisitions for distribution have all been on commission basis.”

Karan Johar had kept all this under wraps and didn’t want to seek publicity over it, unlike many others in the industry who would have patted their own back for such a thing if they ever did anything remotely closer to that.

Blog Ranbir Blog!

Blogs have captured the interest of many B-towners. Another blogger on board is Ranbir Kapoor. The actor whose blog takes off tomorrow on a popular entertainment portal, will start blogging about his experience of working in his upcoming film, Wake Up Sid. As opposed to his lazy character in the film, Ranbir is very creative.

According to sources, he will be blogging daily about his role in the film and his experiences with producer Karan Johar, director Ayaan Mukherjee and actress Konkona Sen Sharma. He will continue blogging if he gets positive reviews and comments.

Katrina plays leading lady in upcoming sequel of ‘Dostana’.

Finally the script and starcast for Dostana2 has now been finalised.It has been revealed two more actorshave been added with Katrina kaif to the existing cast of the flick.

According to the sources Katrina has become leading lady of the film and also signed the deal. But along with her, the other actorswho have joined the list of ‘Dostana’ star cast are none other than Arjun Rampal and Riteish Deshmukh.

Producer Karan Johar’s to the point to director Tarun Mansukhani said, “Go for it… I’ll produce it only if you come up with the right script.” And now Tarun claims to have done just that, and the sequel of will have as many as four men chasing the pretty lady.

Reports revealed that “Katrina was chosen to play the female lead after much deliberation. Dharma Productions has auditioned dozens of new girls. Actually, they wanted a fresh face for ‘Dostana 2’. But finally, after a tedious Google search, they felt that Katrina’s ‘most hit’ status on the Internet makes it apt for her to play the role of the ‘most hit’ girl by the boys in ‘Dostana 2’.

Karan’s Kareena-Kajol Konfrontation

Everyone knows Karan Johar is remaking Stepmom with Kajol and Kareena Kapoor playing the roles done to “depth’ by Susan Sarandon and Julia Roberts.
What no one knows is that the original screenplay is being considerably refurbished to etch out the Julia Roberts part so that there would be many more confrontational sequences between “moms’ Kajol and “stepmom’ Kareena.
The fact that Kareena happens to be a self-confessed fan of both Kajol and Julia Roberts certainly helps the situation.
Kareena currently holidaying with Saif in Italy says, “When I recently got an award from Erin Brockovich, I enjoyed the moment doubly because Julia Roberts had played Erin. I love the spunky militant parts she plays. And Kajol is my favorite actress, and to be pitched against her is a dream come true, we didn’t have that many scenes together in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. But here it’s the two of us all the way. Julia Roberts had rocked in my role in the original. I want to make my role in the remake just as exciting.”
Bollywood’s super-designer Manish Malhotra flew to New York two weeks ago when Kareena was shooting there, to discuss and finalize Kareena’s look for the desi Stepmom.
“I’m really excited about it,” Kareena said. “Manish was in NY. We’re working on a totally new look, clothes makeup and hair for our film with Karan. I can guarantee you this time we’ll do something very different from my celebrated Poo in K3G.”
Kareena will cut her hair for the first time in her career. “I’ve never done that for any role. But I want to get experimental with my looks this time.”
When Kareena came down with a viral fever in New York, her folks were naturally worried. Concerned reports back home about Swine Flu in the US have Kareena pooh-poohing away our worries.
“Tell everyone to chill. There were no swine’s of the two-legged or four-legged kind in New York. We were all safe and sound. There was never any question of leaving the schedule half-finished. Who starts all these rumors? They’re freaking out our folks back home for nothing. I worked non-stop to complete the schedule so that Saif and me could head for our holiday. Jehaad (yup, that’s what she and Saif insist on calling the film) is a very challenging film for both of us. It’s dramatic but real. We have to raise our voices but make sure it’s not done in a filmy way.”
Kareena plays Saif’s wife and the mother of a child. She was earlier seen as a girl in love with a suspected terrorist in Govind Nihalani’s Dev.
She had blown the screen part in the two scenes she had.
“In Jehaad I’ve much more to do, plus Saif for company,” she chuckles.
Both Raj Kumar Hirani’s 3 Idiots and Rensil d Silva’s film have taken more of Kareena’s time and energy than she had bargained for. “I had to give a hundred days each to both. Now there’s Karan’s film with Kajol.”

My Name Is Khan creates a hurricane

The entire cast and crew of Karan Johar’s Shah Rukh Khan-Kajol starrer My Name Is Khan, is back from San Fransico, USA. It is learnt that now they will be shooting soon in Mumbai for the last portions of their film, which incidentally is a hurricane scene. Presently for the same, a huge set is being constructed in Filmcity Goregaon, Mumbai.
Our industry insider reveals, “At the Josh Maidan in Filmcity the set being constructed is of a dam that is measuring around three feet in depth and is 135 by 240 meters in size. Then apart from that, a church and few small houses around it shall be constructed soon. There are plans to shoot a hurricane sequences showing these places such as the church and the houses getting completely submerged and devastated under it.”
The source further added, “After this sequence is shot, the film’s talkie portions will be complete and only the post-production will be left. The makers hope to release the film by January 2010 end.”

Shah Rukh can be an outstanding director: Karan Johar

Their last outing together was a damp squib, but Karan Johar hasn’t lost his faith in Shah Rukh Khan. He has once again teamed up with him and Kajol for “My Name Is Khan” and says the superstar is not only good at emoting but is capable of directing a film too.

“He had written reams of notes on how he wanted to interpret his character (in ‘My Name Is Khan’). And to him it was no big deal. He’s ready to direct a film any time. He will be outstanding at it,” Karan, whose last directorial venture “Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna” fell flat at the box office, told in an interview.

For “My Name Is Khan”, Karan is bringing Shah Rukh and Kajol together on screen after a long time and he says they bring out the best in him.

“I’m blessed to have them in my film. I don’t know what it is about them. It’s just magic. They build an inexplicable energy on screen. When I direct a scene with Shah Rukh and Kajol, I know I’m doing my best work,” he said.

“My Name Is Khan” is about a Muslim who suffers from the Asperger syndrome, a form of autism that impacts social interaction abilities, and he is arrested as a suspected terrorist in post-9/11 Los Angeles after authorities mistake his disability for suspicious behaviour.

Excerpts from the interview:

Q: “My Name Is Khan” has no lip-sync songs?

A: No, none. The songs are all in the background. In LA, we had fans coming to us to ask if there was any track like “Suraj hua madham” in “My Name Is Khan”. This time there’s no “It’s the time to disco” and “Where’s the party tonight”. But there’s guts, soul and heart in the music. I’ve a huge comfort zone with my composers Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. That’s the only way good work can be done.

Q: Apparently, Javed Akhtar refused to share lyrical credits with Niranjan Iyer?

A: Javed-saab is a father figure and our rapport goes way beyond work. Niranjan has written the dialogues and two songs in “My Name Is Khan”. Javed-saab was gracious enough to let Nirajan write the rest of the songs. And when I insisted, Javed-saab had to write one song that only he could and he very kindly agreed. He’s also written the lyrics of my production “Wake Up, Sid”.

Q: How was it directing Shah Rukh and Kajol again?

A: I am blessed to have them in my film. I don’t know what it is about them. It’s just magic. They build an inexplicable energy on screen. They instinctively understand each other’s acting. When I direct a scene with Shah Rukh and Kajol, I know I’m doing my best work. These two characters in “My Name Is Khan” had to be Shah Rukh and Kajol.

Q: You almost didn’t get Kajol?

A: She had to read the script. That was it. She said yes. I wouldn’t want any actor to say yes to my film just because he or she is a friend. I want my actors to really do the role. I’ve great friendships, but I don’t want any actor to compromise on his or her basic tenets on cinema.

Q: Was Kajol weighed down on location by her motherly duties?

A: Not at all. I’ve worked with Kajol in various stages of her life. I’m working with her again eight years later. When we worked the last time, she didn’t have a daughter. So, of course, she’s a different person. Today, I find her calmer more focused on her work than ever before. Kajol manages to be fantastic wife-mother and actress.

I find Shah Rukh and Kajol alike in their attitude to work and family. They’re both so much into their spouses and kids. When the shot is over, they rush to their respective family. On location in LA between shots they spoke to each other about their respective families.

Q: How was Shah Rukh?

A: Time and again I’m blown away by Shah Rukh. How can he think of so many things about his character when he has so much on his plate? He has done monumental research on his autistic character. I was zapped by how much he knew on the subject. And he brought all the knowledge on the sets.

He had written reams of notes on how he wanted to interpret his character. And to him it was no big deal. He’s ready to direct a film any time. He will be outstanding at it. His understanding of human nature and emotions can never be matched by me.

Hansal Mehta Replaces Karan Johar in Dev Anand’s Film

Dev Anand’s Charge sheet is now being shot at the outskirts of Mumbai.

And one filmmaker-turned-actor who happily trotted off for the shooting on Monday was Hansal Mehta who plays a filmmaker in Charge sheet.

Hansal could barely contain his excitement as he packed his bags in Pune to leave for his maiden movie.

“I haven’t even asked Dev Saab what my role is. But I believe I play a filmmaker. That’s double excitement for me. I get to play myself. I’ve simcerely followed Dev Saab’s instructions. He’s inspiring. I had a blast. I got what I wanted. I always wanted to work with Navketan and Dev Saab.”

Tell Hansal that the role was offered to Karan Johar first and he turned down the role (without even informing the indefatigable Dev Saab that he wasn’t interested), and spirits refuse to be dampened. “Who in the world says no to Dev Saab? I’d like to believe I was the first and last choice for the role.”

It was just two days’ work for Hansal. But he packed enough clothes and accessories for the entire schedule.

“You never know. Dev Saab might love my performance and increase my role. But seriously I hope I get enough scope in Charge sheet to display my exceptional acting skills,” said the twinkle-eyed Hansal who has directed film like Chhal, Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar and Woodstock Villa.

Films Featuring Karan Johar as an Actor

Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge

Home Delivery

Salaam-e-Ishq (just a voice on the phone)

Fashion