It hasn’t been the best year for Indian cinema. The expected highs sank to lows and the perceived lows lived up to expectation. I’ve mostly felt unchallenged as a filmmaker and deeply disappointed as a cine-goer. There have been few (but far between) silver linings on the bollywood clouds and I feel compelled to list a few.

The Jodhaa-Akbar chemistry was pleasantly surprising. Ashutosh had displayed a tremendous flair of narrative and conviction in his earlier works. His foray into “old world” romance had all die-hard romantics begging for more and Hrithik and Aishwarya gave historic performances (pun totally intended.) The pace was not really the virtue of this film but there were various other cinematic elements that more than made up for it.

Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na. I felt young and depressed when I watched this film. Young because it took me back to the backbench days of my college life and depressed because those days are now a distant memory that high doses of Aspartame are erasing by the hour. I remember seeing the film and then confronting my mirror. I’m worth it so thank god for L'Oréal, now the grays can be covered. Botox is now the next stop. Anyway, back to Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na and the wonderful Imran and Genelia. Imran displayed a casual confidence that made him endearing and eminently watchable. He has great lineage but still stands apart and has an individualistic charm about him. More power to him…. Genelia was fresh, earthy, and rightfully energetic. Here’s an actress waiting to exhale. I hope she makes the right career choices and carves the correct niche for herself. This is almost like a re-launch for her in Indian cinema and I’m sure she will more than live up to all the expectation.

My favorite actor in the whole world is Rishi Kapoor. He was natural at a time when overt, theatric performances were the order of the day. He combated over-the-top and made nuance his strength. Ranbir is a brilliant follow up to a legend. He’s a star and displays all the elements and prerequisites for mainstream lead roles. Hidden beneath the controlled body language and nimble dance abilities definitely lies an actor. I’m dead sure in years to come that Ranbir will emerge as an “actor/superstar”, a very rare combination.

Rock On is by far the best looking film of this year. Jason West captures the mood of a rock concert with unbelievable expertise. This brave endeavor is a huge technical victory and a lesson to learn for all of us filmmakers. The production design, ambience, and styling are pitch perfect. Farhan and Arjun were born to be rock stars and it almost seemed like their childhood dreams came true on celluloid. Special mention must go to Shahana Goswami who displayed the best piece of acting I think I’ve seen in years. Excel Entertainment (headed by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar) definitely needs a pat on their backs for continuing to consistently be cinematically progressive.

So that’s all I liked this year. There’s a lot I didn’t care for but I’m just somebody who likes to focus on the good, and hope the bad gets better. I’m now waiting for the crème of the fraternity to shine on Eid, Diwali and Christmas. Fingers crossed.

Love and koffee,

Karan.

p.s. Heartiest congratulations to Ram Gopal Varma and his sleeper hit “Phoonk” I haven’t seen it (and don’t plan to) but still feel congratulations are in order. Also, I get a lot of enquiries and comments about “My Name is Khan.” I’m afraid to talk about it and divulge too much as the film is still very nascent in its stage but please stay connected and thanks for all the interest.

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Hey everyone! Don’t worry, this isn’t the replacement to my next blog, just an urgent note to all of you that the teaser promo for our next film, “Dostana”, will be available to view on our website tomorrow and is also attached to “Bachna Ae Haseeno”. PLEASE please please check it out; I’m anxious to hear your thoughts.

Love and koffee,

Karan

p.s. Just to clarify, I don’t hate Ram Gopal Varma. Hate is too strong an emotion to waste on anyone or anything. I regard some of his work and I’m indifferent to others. He’s no friend of mine and will never be, but I see no reason to bear any animosity towards him; the poor fellow can do with some love. This is my reaction to a series of questions I’ve been asked about the status of my emotions towards him recently. Happy Independence Day!

He swings from one building to the next, extracting from New York City any and all threats that may captivate the fictitious city present in most Marvel comics. Oh, and he grosses over USD 2 billion at the box office worldwide for three films. You pull the face off the blue and red mask and you have Tobey Maguire, an actor previously known for obscure roles in independent films such as “The Ice Storm” and “Cider House Rules”. Somewhere, a studio executive decided to make him their brand, a brand that they control every step of the way, a brand with longevity. Who needs stars when you can create them yourself?

Jet 14,020 kilometers to Bombay, and you encounter a very different scenario. Producers wait months, sometimes years for a chunk of dates from their star of choice. And there are only so many to choose from. 20 days, 35 days, even 15 days with breaks in the middle will do. Concessions are made and egos inflated, because the reality has been that without the star, the film won’t ever make it out to the galaxy. Earlier, a year filled with a higher number of newcomer releases was an anomaly, and financially, still struggled to make a mark, with the exception of Hrithik Roshan’s debut film, “Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai” that brought in stupendous business at the box office.

This year however a shift occurred with our audience; they got hungry for something more. Their desire to experience something fresh has resulted in “Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na” becoming one of the biggest hits of the year so far. A bonafide blockbuster, the film has made over Rs. 50 crores, a feat considering the budget of the film was minimal by all accounts. Despite the lack of a star on the project (Aamir Khan’s fantastic publicity can only provide so much of a boost to a newcomer’s vehicle) audiences have rushed back to the cinemas to watch a much-adored film with unknown actors and a debutant director. One could argue here that if all audiences wanted were fresh faces, other releases with new actors would have encountered a similar fate at the box office. To that I offer an explanation that can be summed up in one word; screenplay. Hype and marketing are neccessary functions to generate buzz, but eventually ineffective in determining the long term success of a film. The story has to be appealing and approachable, and the audiences will find a way to escape into that world on their own.

Today, the most successful comedies in America are films made by Judd Apatow, the 40 year old director behind the hilariously tongue in cheek “The 40 year old Virgin.” Apatow, now a brand of his own, has the power to demand millions from investors to throw into a film with a mostly unheard of (and usually extremely quirky) cast. Cinemagoers flock to theaters to watch a film because, “it’s made by the guy who made ‘Knocked Up’ and ‘Superbad’.” Trends catch on at an alarmingly fast rate in the West, and brands are immediately leveraged to their maximum ability. This is when a predominantly creative industry adapts a business prospective and succeeds.

Liberties and licenses like these are rare in our industry, where the producer is almost always held to ransom by the star who knows very well just how much moolah his (or her) name can rake in. The biggest challenge facing this situation is that now our stars only want to work for themselves. Why make someone else money when you can set up your own shop and take the largest cut? It makes perfect sense, and they shouldn’t be faulted for it. But where does that leave the producer sitting with a decent script, a fair amount of money, and the desire to create some entertainment? To truly think progressively would be to pose the question; should we be getting rid of the star system in our industry, or at least reevaluating the discipline that has previously existed? Is it now time to create a successful vehicle by creating the star, creating the franchise, and building a brand without dealing with the trappings and baggage that come with that one solo force; the actor?

Filmmaking cannot be dependent on singularity. No one element ensures a hit, and it’s time for that fact to become wider knowledge. If sequel after sequel of superhero films is the order of the day, or teenybopper flicks (like Disney’s massively successful franchise, “High School Musical”) are what sell tickets, then a scavenger hunt is in order. The solutions have definite risks, but imagine this; make the script the star, the visual effects the draw, and the director the force. Talent needs to be discovered and molded, contracted and disciplined till the project or the franchise has lived out its entire duration and the doors open for another burst of something new.

For an industry that depends almost entirely on the profitability of a handful of actors, the risks have now become too high to continue to sit, wait, and wish. The Indian film fraternity needs to veer towards a more independent approach to casting and image. It’s a truth that I have come to accept as well. My admiration and fascination with stars hasn't diminished one bit, but I realise my own reservations towards working with newcomers, a realisation that is now being rectified. Ultimately it’s not just about a new actor and all the plotting that comes along with creating that brand, but rather an influx of fresh talent, whether its your star, your screenwriter, your director, or even just your approach. The truth is that there is no such thing as a guaranteed hit. The industry has learnt that in a harsh way over the course of a few years. A new strategy is the order of the day, especially with an audience that gets more discerning by the week. The stakes are high, but none of us are here because filmmaking is perceived to be easy. We’ve always welcomed a challenge and should now welcome some change.

As I prepare to dash out of the office to make what seems like a hundred pit stops before boarding a flight to the US for prep work for “My Name is Khan” it dawns on me that I’ve not had a moment to collect my thoughts for this weeks blog. So far I’ve shared with you my thoughts and opinions on topics with varied levels of interest and relevance to my life. To dig a little deeper, and share a little more, I give you this week something incredibly close to my heart.

The other day at home sifting through piles of memories, I came across some pictures that instantly transported me to a time in my life that meant so many things to me, and the people surrounding me. The making of my second film, “Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham” was a larger than life experience. Every element stood out as a first for me. The scale and opulence of the film has been talked about for years, but in truth, the film had a cast that we may never see together on screen again. The characters had lives that were unabashed and indulgent, and my actors played into that with confidence. My crew wore an energy that was magnetic and constantly rejuvenating. Most importantly, above and beyond every other reasoning, it was the film of mine that my father loved the most. These fading, stained, and slightly abused black & whites bring back to my life a fond and vivid reliving of color, lights, camera, and action.

Please enjoy...

Love and koffee,

Karan.

It’s an exciting time at Dharma Productions these days. The office is buzzing with energy and enthusiasm. I love it! We’re in the midst of producing 5 films, which is a first for us. Needless to say, fear, anxiety and restlessness are now part of my life. I’m not complaining, this is what I wanted for my production house after all. My father built Dharma from the ground up and it’s been my dream and passion to take it to a much higher level. Last night I sat down to write this blog. It’s been a stressful week so I couldn’t think of anything clever, witty or interesting to say. I was going through what you might call a blogger’s block. I kept thinking of all the work I have pending on my table and all the creative juices that needed to flow. So I thought this week instead of sharing my thoughts with you I would share my workload. So, here goes:

“Dostana” is releasing on November the 14th. It’s being directed by my assistant, Tarun Mansukhani. Tarun has a tremendous flair for comedy and is genuinely a funny guy. He’s been fiercely loyal to Dharma, and loyalty is rare, especially in an exceptionally opportunistic environment. We all love him and hope his first film flies at the box office. The music will be out on the 30th of September. If I may say, Vishal and Shekhar have outdone themselves. What they’ve delivered is a foot tapping, melody filled album that I hope you like. Let me know what you think of the music when it’s out.

Our next film to go on the floors is tentatively titled “Wake up Sid!” It’s being directed by Ayan Mukerji (yes, for those inquisitive ones, he is Kajol and Rani’s cousin). He’s 24 and super bright. He assisted me on “Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna” and has written an extremely charming screenplay. It’s a coming of age meets a slice of life film. The casting is unusual and perfect for the narrative; Ranbir Kapoor and Konkona Sen Sharma. It should be out summer 2009. Give us your feed back on the title, “Wake Up Sid!” I would love that.

Rensil D’ Silva, the screenplay writer of “Rang De Basanti” is directing a thriller for us that should be out autumn of 2009. It’s a story idea I’ve had for years, and Rensil has written an exceptional screenplay. It’s his first feature as a director, though he has a tremendous body of advertising film work behind him. The principal cast comprises of Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, and Vivek Oberoi. It’s an edge of your seats thriller with global terrorism as a backdrop. And that's all I'm saying about that for now!

“Koochie Koochie Hota Hai” is Dharma’s foray into the animation world. We’re co-producing the film with Prana (a seasoned animation house.) The film has the soul and narrative of “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai”, it just belongs to a different world; an animal world devoid of any human inhabitants. The core love story is between three dogs, and the supporting cast has roosters, bears, pigs, cats, and many others from the barn. Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, and Rani essay the voices for “Rocky”, “Angie”, and “Tina” respectively, (minor tweaks on the original names.) It’s being directed, again, by Tarun Mansukhani, who also assisted me on “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.” It would be interesting to see his animated interpretation of my debut film. Potential release date: late summer of 2009.

“My Name is Khan” goes on the floors in November of this year. The film is going to be shot extensively in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington, and Mumbai. If all goes well, we should be out late next year. What do I say about it? At the heart of it, it’s a love story. At the soul of it, it makes a social comment, and at the whole of it, it’s a human triumph tale.

All your good wishes and energy will truly help the karma at Dharma. Please keep it coming, every word of support counts. It's a full plate, and it's never looked more appetizing. I’m going back to work now, I’m feeling much better. Lighter.

Love and koffee,

Karan

p.s. I’m going to be traveling extensively for the pre production work for “My Name is Khan”, so my blog postings might be a tad irregular. Bear with me, and don’t stop commenting. Thank you for listening…

I love the film fraternity. I love everything about it. Nowhere in the world will you find such a cocktail of complexes, complexities, contradictions, and of course, charisma. We are unique and our DNA must be preserved for posterity. Why deny generations ahead of our vanity and our insanity? Pardon the rhyme; it’s with good reason. So what makes us so special? Well, read on.

In Denial:

We deny our relationships, affairs, infidelities, and enmities. We love denial. God forbid if we started admitting to things, the speculation would stop, and we just can’t have that. We like to be in the news, and to make sure of that we employ publicists who plant stories under our surveillance that we later deny with an absolute straight face. It’s called "The Art of Convenient Alzheimer’s." Of course within close, or not so close circles, we go on about the invasive paparazzi and the trashy tabloids. The truth is we love the invasion and we feed off the trash. We deny this of course. It’s a vicious circle that we’re completely square about.

Star Hatings:

Favorite conversation piece at fraternity affairs: critic bashing. It’s more fashionable than bling (Bappi’s back!) From saying they are bought to calling them biased, we don’t leave a single stone unturned. We take all the critics’ comments personally and feel it’s a vendetta against us. But we love the persecution complex. It’s our favorite emotion. To think of it as an objective point of view is something we just cant wrap our heads around. Maybe we actually made a bad film??? Oh god, how could I have just said that?! We never make bad films, we make “misunderstood cinema”, understood? All this can change because all it takes is a 4 star review (5 stars would be pushing it) and paragraphs of gush and we’re back on track. A critic is on our speed dial, he’s a member of our family, it’s all about loving the critics all over again. The next step is to give full-page ads in leading newspapers highlighting the critic’s comments in “inverted commas.” Double standards?? Don’t be silly; we think it’s our birthright.

Disease of Delusion:

The fastest spreading disease within the fraternity is the disease of delusions. It can give any viral a run for its medicine. We are delusional about the box office figures of our films, our current star status, our lover’s fidelity, and our physical appearances (though thanks to Photoshop, that gets taken care of.) Sometimes I wonder if we just turn a blind eye or have genuinely inhabited planet delusion. I’m hoping for the former, it would make us more real. Hmmm, being real…wonder what that feels like. Anyway, moving on….

And the Loser is…:

A very wise man once told me, (oh forget it, lets give credit where its due) Javed Akhtar once told me, “Take the awards seriously the year you get them.” Year after year we’ve been going on about the commercialization of our film awards. The rigged decisions, the lobbies and the camps, the jury villains and the vamps. Yet year after year we land up in our shimmering saris, ill fitted gowns and tacky tuxedos. The criterion for turning up is simple; either we’re winning or performing. A combination of the two is ideal. The only other reason to turn up would be to market a close to release film or give tight television close-ups to ex, current, or potential lovers. The spirit of competition??? What’s that? Please lets not discuss alien concepts.

I could go on and on but I must practice some restraint. Also, I’d like to add that I’ve used “we” everywhere because I’m very much a part of the above disorders (barring maybe the tacky tuxedos, I think mine are quite nice.) To be fair to us, the stakes are high, competition is fierce, and stress levels are cardiac friendly. Nowhere in the world is anyone’s work judged globally like ours is and we wage battles everyday till we reach the “Friday wars.”

So please allow us our quirks and shortcomings. We never claimed to be perfect; you put us on that pedestal. Chew on that while we go back to making movies, for what in the world is better than that?

Amen.

Love and koffee,

Karan

p.s. I continue to read all the comments. Thank you again from the bottom of my heart. Many inquiries on “My Name is Khan” I promise to tell all in good time. I do wish to correct some misconceptions, though. The film is not based in New York, and Shah Rukh Khan is not playing a terrorist. I love you all, and if you haven’t aleady watched “Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na” go right now and watch it. It’s fresh, it’s real, and completely audience friendly.

This is a humble and honest plea to anyone about to enter our domain. To the Disneys, and the Foxes, and the Sonys, and of course, those Warner Bros. With your vivid, soaring, global logos, your Oscar counts, and your bags of cash, We, the Indian film industry, welcome you to India.

Splashed on yards of paper; the trades, the economic pages, even the society columns, the news of almost every leading Hollywood studio sniffing around for real estate on our side of the world was hardly shocking news. We saw it coming for a while. It does, after all, make perfect, financial sense. It's the biggest benefit of these soon to be solidified deals; the coming together of capital for scintillating, groundbreaking, and oftentimes overindulgent, cinema. It's what we here in "Bollywood" do very well. So welcome, swagatam, take a moment, put down that copy of Variety, and give this a thought:

In our film fraternity, relationships are stronger than contracts. They always have been. It's why I can drop the F word (fraternity, what were you thinking?) so often and know in ever sense, that it's true. Our word is as permanent as ink, despite the bad apples that sometimes give us an amateurish reputation. We’ve been nurturing these equations for years, and we do it sans agents and managers and assistants. Those of us lucky to be raised within the industry have the word of our fathers, our siblings, and those friends that might as well be family. We're small, and we may bicker, but we've sat in each other’s living rooms, and we've built this industry to what it is.

A gesture of support, or an extension of an apology appeals to us more than those big corporate presentations. We like bold and we like technology, but give us a narration, not a pie chart! We might be a little old fashioned in our pitches, but we make films because the nation's heart thumps for it. Appeal to that sentiment, and understand our culture. Employ people who understand this about us, as an industry, and as a country. We're emotional, and we're more connected than you’d think, but we have our patterns. Try to understand who we are as an industry, what works for us and more importantly, for our audiences. What do they reject with morchas and embrace with jubilees? When sitting with your analysts, conduct a human analysis, not a business one. Deconstruct us if you must, but understand us at the end.

Alright, I'll admit it, I was trying to reel you in with emotion. Now let’s talk business. This isn't the age of vaudeville, we like our returns more than the next guy. Win my heart, but definitely, absolutely, help me win some of that gold. We Indians have some sharp acumen, so give us both. Blend the business with the creative. Understand why we know that an item song done right will make you money, and we’ll try to make heads or tails of your paperwork. We've been doing this for years, and our mines are filling up fast. To successfully comprehend us, try a cocktail of de-Americanization, and matkis full of Indianization.

Don't mock. Appreciate. All our formulas? They work! Ask anyone in Peru. Of course, you know this already; you've done your market research, but start to have a little fun with it now. We're a country that experiences almost everything in tsunami-proportioned waves. Cinema, Cricket, Politics. Eat, Sleep, Breathe. This is our pulse and our tipping points, and our fads are certainly worth a study. Tuck away some of that logic, we're built on escapism after all. What's the point of entertainment if it's not just a little bit shocking? In the next meeting, replace "just because" with "what if?" and your entire frame will start to speak cinema scope.

Before I run the risk of sounding too preachy, it is imperative to communicate that the impetus of this thought comes from a place of deep sincerity, written from a spirit of hope, and with the anticipation of successful partnerships in the offing. The future is looking well lit for both of us. We like your films. We copy half of them. We even gape at your process and infrastructure, but respect that we've got one too. This “Bolly” isn’t in a wood, it’s in a jungle, and you've got to understand the law of this jungle.

Love and koffee,

Karan.

The lights came up at the premiere of the highly anticipated “Saawariya.” The crème de la crème of the film fraternity walked out in silence. The customary praise and calculated adulation was shared with the cast and crew of the film. Everyone got into their cars and left the venue. And then…the mobiles came out. The real reviews came crackling through Nokia Communicators and bejeweled Motorola’s. Opinions from the color palette to the pace of the film were animatedly discussed. The fraternity was happy. The fraternity was celebrating. Celebrating the failure of a film. Celebrating the failure of a filmmaker.

I went back home that night and sat on my bed. Something was bothering me. I asked myself if a part of me was secretly happy that “Saawariya” might bite the dust. Was I happy that a competitor might have erred in judgment? And the truth is, I was happy, and that made me feel sick.

It took me back to the weekend of the release of “Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham.” My first film, “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai” was a hit and was received wonderfully by the industry and audiences at large. With my second film I had set out to tell a story with the unity of family as the primary sentiment, but all anyone had to say in the lobbies of screening rooms, the columns of newspapers, and hallways of production offices was that it was overtly melodramatic. The critics said it was over the top, and the trades claimed it to be a disaster. That was the buzz, and it got louder and louder with each passing show time.

And that’s fine. I’m perfectly okay with people not getting into my films. I’ll admit, I had set out to make a moving, poignant film, a classic, if you must. I truly value the opinions of other filmmakers and am always ready to swallow a reality pill, but I couldn’t understand the excitement in pulling me down. The irony is that K3G was the biggest box office success of that year, the highest grossing Hindi film overseas. I’m still not saying I made a masterpiece, but it left me questioning why the industry that raised me would be so eager to love to hate my work. Why were some of my peers so keen to bash a film that was, on all box office accounts at least, booming?

It doesn’t really matter how hard you introspect for that answer, the reality is that it’s just human nature. It’s how we’re wired, more so in a creative field, where it’s just too easy to wrangle a good idea into the flop bin. It is our natural disposition to be jealous of someone for his or her success, or for his or her ability to tell a story better than the rest of us. Yet here I was, six years later, feeling pleasure from a colleague’s imminent pain.

Why is it so easy, so natural for me, for the rest of the industry to feel a tinge of excitement when another filmmaker misses the mark with their film? What collective ego are we trying to feed and pamper here? Why is a section of the fraternity secretly (or not so secretly, you be the judge of that) thrilled that Yash Raj hasn’t played the greatest hand this year? That company has provided us with some of the greatest films to ever grace our screens. Why are people celebrating? What’s the matter with us? If the very thing that derives pleasure stems from a place of negativity, it’s only a matter of time before it turns into poisonous resentment. It just doesn’t seem very neighborly to me anymore.

We’re all competitive, and that spirit is exhilarating and bold. But how much more evolved (and resolved) would we be if we collectively took the hit (pun unintended) for a poorly received film? Wouldn’t it speak volumes of us as leading contributors of world cinema to act as a co-op, supporting the highs and the lows in tandem, with respect?

Idealistic, I know. It’s too tempting to relish someone else’s cinematic failures, but if we could turn that debilitating jealousy into the more socially acceptable cardinal sin, envy, I think we’d give solidarity a run for it’s money.