“Clean love stories don’t exist anymore,” says Karan Johar!

When it comes to creating films centered on tales of love, not many filmmakers know the best way to win hearts. The head of Dharma Productions, Karan Johar, sure knows how to craft heart touching stories however and has come up with films that have moved audiences to tears and made us fall in love all over again! According to him, the film industry has undergone a tremendous change lately and the way contemporary cinema portrays love and romance these days is a step away from the past.  

Clean love stories don’t exist anymore

“It’s sad but the purity of romance has taken a beating. It’s the difference between water and cola. The ‘40s, ‘50s and ‘60s projected clean, tranquil and seamless love. Just the way a glass of water appears. Today’s love is like a fizzy cola. It’s got fizz, which eventually goes flat. Water is like the ocean, it’s endless. Unfortunately, today organic love is known as old world love. Clean love stories don’t exist anymore,” said Karan.

He also went on to add, “Unfortunately, there’s no love story that one can tell today without watering it down. Last year only one love story was made - Jab Tak Hai Jaan. Before that the only real love story was Jab We Met. Imagine the most important films of our decade aren’t love stories! And that was all our industry was producing at one point.”

Karan’s last film, Student of the Year, released on the 19th of October, 2012 and was proclaimed a hit. The film starred newcomers Siddharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt playing students at a school while veteran actor Rishi Kapoor plays the role of a gay dean.

Arjun Kapoor to promote Karan Johar’s upcoming film, Gippi

Karan Johar has been on a roll, releasing one blockbuster after another. The filmmaker has directed several films in the past and his latest, a glamorously beautiful campus romance titled Student of the Year, took the box office by storm. The film was a blockbuster and has created a place for itself in the hearts of fans, introducing four newcomers to the big screen including Varun Dhawan, Siddharth Malhotra, Alia Bhatt and Kayoze Irani. Karan is currently tied up with two upcoming projects, one a production titled Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and the other a short-film titled Bombay Talkies. 

But that’s not all the Dharma Productions chief has on his hands. Karan will soon introduce yet another film titled Gippi. This one, directed by Sonam Nair, is set to release on the 10th of May, 2013, and is a story of a young girl who faces the ups and downs of youth. To promote the upcoming film, Karan has roped in youth-icon Arjun Kapoor, who made his debut in the film Ishaqzaade. “Since Gippi doesn’t feature any big stars or known faces, the makers thought of roping in two or three stars to spread the word about the film. Since Arjun is popular among young audiences, he was one of the first choices for the task,” said an insider.

Speaking about the same, director Sonam Nair also went on to say, “Yes, Arjun has shot a promo for us. Karan wanted him to back the film. Since Gippi is about an overweight kid who doesn’t like to go on diets, Arjun’s name came up as a natural choice because he also used to be plump when he was young and hated dieting.”

Karan Johar’s Student of the Year wasn’t just a remake of past films!

There have been rumors of Karan Johar’s latest directorial venture, Student of the Year, swaying towards Karan Johar’s first directorial venture, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. This is particularly because of the fact that the story follows the lives of three youngsters discovering love. Student of the Year however isn’t anything like the past film, though it does pack Karan Johar’s signature glamour and extravagance. The film has also been compared to the 1992 sports-drama film, Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar. In regards to this, Karan has previously stated, “In the past too, while I was making K3G, it was alleged I was rehashing Kabhie Kabhie. KHNH was supposedly Anand. Now Student of the Year is Mohabbatein and Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar. It's amusing. Is there a dearth of stories? Why should every film be a clone of a tried and tested film?”

Karan Johar’s Student of the Year is a story of three youngsters at a prestigious school in Dehradun. Abhimanyu Singh aka Abhi (Siddharth Malhotra), a boy from a middle-class family, enrolls at St. Teresa’s High School on a scholarship. There, he befriends the son of a business tycoon, Rohan Nanda (Varun Dhawan) and his childhood sweetheart, Shanaya Singhania (Alia Bhatt). The school is presided over by the gay dean Yogendra Vasisht (Rishi Kapoor). A campus romance in essence, Student of the Year has its leading trio face the highs and lows of teenage life. As the movie proceeds, they are pitched against each other as they compete to win the Student of the Year Trophy.

A film unlike any Karan Johar has unveiled before; Student of the Year has created quite a storm at the box office and is expected to continue doing so as long as it stays on cinema screens!

Student of the Year, Karan Johar’s campus blockbuster

Karan Johar is known as a multifaceted filmmaker and for good reason. The Dharma Productions chief has unveiled five directorial ventures till today and has covered some of the most important subjects that relate to our day to day lives. With his first film, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), Karan Johar showcased bubblegum romances and teenage love. 

His latest film, Student of the Year, brought to life campus romances yet again. The film released on the 19th of October, 2012, and starred debutants Siddharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt. The film revolves around the lives of three students at a premium educational academy, St. Teresa’s High School, Dehradun. Presided over by a gay school dean named Yogendra Vasisht (Rishi Kapoor), the school has organized a Student of the Year competition annually to decide the best student at school. Abhimanyu Singh (Siddharth), a newbie at school, is introduced to a new life, different from that of his middle-class upbringing. He ends up befriending Rohan Nanda (Varun Dhawan), a rich and affluent boy. He also crosses paths with Shanaya Singhania (Alia Bhatt), the prettiest girl at school while hanging out with her boyfriend Rohan.

As time flies, a love triangle ensues, with Abhi falling in love with Shanaya, despite the fact that her boyfriend is his best friend. Shanaya unknowingly finds herself falling for Abhi, reciprocating his feelings. When her boyfriend finds out, things fall apart and a rivalry grows between the boys.

Karan Johar’s Student of the Year – A fun and entertaining package!

Movies centered on campus-romances usually have a certain unexplainable charm that manages to draw in crowds, young and old, to cinemas. And such is the case with Karan Johar’s fifth directorial venture, Student of the Year. The film, released on the 19th of October, 2012, has done exceptionally well at the box office following its release. Starring three newcomers in the lead, Siddharth Malhotra, Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan, this film by Karan Johar will have older viewers reminiscing their younger days and the youth wishing they lived a similarly fantastical teenage life!

Student of the Year narrates the tale of three youngsters, Abhimanyu Singh aka Abhi (Siddharth Malhotra), a middle class boy enrolled on a scholarship, campus-sweetheart Shanaya Singhania (Alia Bhatt) and her boyfriend Rohan Nanda (Varun Dhawan), the son of a business tycoon.

At the school, Abhi befriends Rohan despite their different backgrounds and mentalities. Their friendship however gets rocky after Abhi begins to fall head-over-heels for Rohan’s girlfriend, Shanaya, who in turn begins to reciprocate his approaches. As the story proceeds, the three enlist in the Student of the Year competition and begin competing against each other to win the title.

The film comes complete with an interesting and extremely catchy soundtrack composed by Vishal Dadlani and Shekhar Ravjiani. Student of the Year also stars Rishi Kapoor playing the role of a meticulous and gay dean of the school and television actors Ram Kapoor and Ronit Roy.

Karan Johar’s protégé, Varun Dhawan, takes singing lessons

Varun Dhawan

Varun Dhawan, the son of the veteran filmmaker David Dhawan, has shown his affinity for the big-screen and his exceptional acting skills in his Bollywood debut, Karan Johar’s Student of the Year. Acting alongside Siddharth Malhotra, Varun plays Alia Bhatt’s boyfriend in the film. After the tremendous success of his debut, Varun is now preparing himself for his next film, an Ekta Kapoor production. The film is a remake of the south film Kandireega (2011) and will require Varun to pull of several challenging tasks, one of which is singing!

To prepare himself better to suit his role, Varun has begun taking singing lessons from actor-singer Priyanka Chopra’s music trainer, Samantha Edward. “The scene involves Varun singing in a pitch that goes from very high to very low. It might be a small thing, but Varun decided to train so that the singing seems effortless,” says an insider close to the actor.

In the future, Varun might also star in a thriller film in which he will play a musician. This additional training he is currently receiving could very well help him up ahead. “It’s a thriller in which he will play a musician. If all goes well, the film might start by the end of this year. We’ve also heard that Varun chose to undergo training on his own. Dhawan Sr. did not ask him to learn. He’s been going for classes for the past couple of weeks. The training will go on till May,” added the insider.

Speaking about the film, the young actor articulated, “The preparation for my father’s film is going good. The script is still being worked on. We both are very excited about this project.” Varun has grabbed hearts in SOTY and is expected to do so yet again with his performance in his father’s upcoming film titled Main Tera Hero.

Karan Johar calls Bombay Talkies a “challenging format”

It’s been a few months since Karan Johar last directed a film. His fifth directorial venture, Student of the Year, hit cinema screens on the 19^th of October, 2012. The film launched Siddharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt and was a blockbuster that has created a standard with its heart-winning story and catchy music. Karan is now calling the shots for yet another directorial venture, a one-of-a-kind short-film that will be part of the film Bombay Talkies. Zoya Akhtar, Dibakar Banerjee and Anurag Kashyap will also direct short films that will be pieced together to create Bombay Talkies, a tribute to the 100 years of Hindi cinema.

For his 20-minute part in the film, Karan has roped in Rani Mukerji and Randeep Hooda with Saqib Saleem. The film revolves around a story based in Mumbai and will be Karan’s shortest project and indeed one of the most challenging too! “For me, it’s a challenging format. We have 20 minutes to tell a story, which is coherent and connected to the other plots. This can be a challenge for any filmmaker,” says Karan, who has on previous account unveiled 200-minute long sagas!

The film will boast elaborate backdrops and Karan has also used a suburban railway station in Mumbai as a setting. “Karan, who usually shoots in elaborate locations, will now shoot on the streets and other actual places,” says a source close to the Dharma Productions chief.

Bombay Talkies will release on the 3^rd of May. The film will mark the day the Father of Indian Cinema, Dadasaheb Phalke, released Raja Harishchandra, India’s first motion picture.

“I was born with a desire to be in the limelight,” says filmmaker Karan Johar

Karan Johar has made his mark in B-town with the films he has directed and produced. A filmmaker known for loving the limelight and bringing to the Indian audiences glamorous cinema, Karan Johar has brought about a change in Bollywood with his one-of-a-kind movie-making style. The head of Dharma Productions, Karan continues to spearhead his way to success, giving us one blockbuster after another.

“I was born with a desire to be in the limelight. I loved fashion as a child, clothes that didn’t fit me, of course, you know, were things that I looked at a lot, loved cinema, I watched a film every day, I never thought I would be a filmmaker though. I just love the world, the drama in the entertainment world and I wanted to so be a part of it,” says Karan Johar, the son of the late filmmaker, Yash Johar. Karan began his stint in Bollywood with his first directorial venture, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, starring Shah Rukh Khan. After the film’s success, Karan then went on to produce and direct many more.

“I have no problem in facing the paparazzi. I have no problem in facing the flashbulbs on a red carpet, I love it. It’s what I live for, it’s what I do, I could speak to a crowd of a 1000 people and feel very satisfied at the end of it. I like applause. It’s all the things I like, so why run away from these things if you really like it, who are we trying to fool and who are we trying to lie to,” adds Karan, speaking about his love for the work he does and the recognition he receives.

Karan Johar’s latest film, Student of the Year, hit cinema screens on the 19th of October, 2012, and was crowned a blockbuster. The filmmaker is currently producing films that will show up later this year.

Karan Johar’s Student of the Year – Siddharth Malhotra’s perfect debut!

When model-turned-actor Siddharth Malhotra took his first steps in acting, he donned the role of a child-artist in the television series Prithviraj Chauhan. Years later, after walking the runway several times for Indian and international designers including Roberto Cavalli, Manish Arora, Manish Malhotra and Rohit Bal. The 28-year-old actor has now made his debut with Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan in Karan Johar’s Student of the Year.

“One day, I was assisting Karan on My Name is Khan, and now I'm the leading man of Student of the Year. I have to pinch myself to believe this is for real,” said Siddharth before the film’s release, adding, "Sometimes, I'm a bit nervous. But at most times, I'm confident. I have landed a dream debut. Karan, according to me, has the safest pair of hands in the film business.” For this fresh new actor, the film was a dream start, given that not many newcomers hit the silver screen under big banners like Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions.

In Student of the Year, Siddharth, Varun and Alia play the roles of the three students at a school presided over by Rishi Kapoor who plays a gay principal. And that’s not where it all stops for Siddharth. The actor will soon be seen in his next film, Hasee Toh Phasee. This one will be directed by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions and directed by Vinil Mathew. Siddharth will star alongside actress Parineeti Chopra in this film.

Karan Johar gives B-town a bunch of promising newcomers with Student of the Year!

Karan Johar’s Student of the Year has indeed paved the way for several newcomers including the lead actors, Siddharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt. Apart from the trio, the film also includes fantastic appearances by actor Boman Irani’s son Kayoze Irani and Sana Saeed, the actress who worked as a child actress in Karan Johar’s first directorial venture, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Student of the Year sees Sana playing the role of Tania, a gorgeously mean girl who locks horns with Alia Bhatt’s character, Shanaya Singhania, in the film. 

On the other hand, Siddharth Malhotra and Varun Dhawan play Abhimanyu Singh and Rohan Nanda, the hunks of the campus. The two possess personalities like fire and ice however with Abhimanyu being a middle-class boy with big dreams and ambitions while Rohan is the son of a business tycoon. The two wind up befriending each other, despite their opposite personalities and backgrounds. Things begin to take a turn for the worse however when Abhi falls in love with Shanaya.

Given the fact that Rohan is Shanaya’s boyfriend, a rivalry ensues between him and Abhimanyu. Apart from the love triangle that forms the premise of this film, Student of the Year also includes a dash of sporting action. The school’s gay dean, Yogendra Vasisht (Rishi Kapoor), announces the Student of the Year competition and Rohan, Abhi and Shanaya take part in the same. This further pushes up the rivalry between Rohan and Abhi, making the film an enjoyable treat to watch.

Student of the Year released on the 19th of October, 2012, and was proclaimed a blockbuster after its release.

Karan Johar brings new actors to the big-screen with Student of the Year

Karan Johar has launched the careers of several actors with his fifth directorial venture, Student of the Year. The film stars newcomers Siddharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt in the lead. While Siddharth is a model-turned-actor, Varun Dhawan is the son of the veteran filmmaker, David Dhawan. Alia Bhatt on the other hand is filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt’s child. While the three occupy the primary roles in the film, Student of the Year has also paved the way for several more actors including actor Boman Irani’s son Kayoze Irani, Sana Saeed who worked as a child actor in Karan’s first film, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Sahil Anand.

"Karan sir is an amazing person and so down to earth. I still call him and ask his advice. During Student of the Year, Karan gave me all the freedom to perform," said Sahil, adding, "Shooting with the entire team of Student Of The Year was an amazing experience and I was so glad when Kareena Kapoor appreciated my performance."

Kayoze Irani shares Sahil’s enthusiasm and said, "The response has been overwhelming. Having everyone from the film industry congratulate me was a surreal experience. If I try recollecting what Mr Amitabh Bachchan had to say about me, I blank out. I was actually star struck. And when he wrote about me on his site, it felt great."

The film is a campus romance in which Siddharth, Varun, Alia, Kayoze, Sahil and Sana star as students at a school in Dehradun. Together, they face the highs and lows of life at school and deal with relationships, friendship, rivalry and love. Rishi Kapoor also stars in this film, playing the unconventional role of a gay school dean.

Karan Johar and Anurag Kashyap’s joint venture to be directed by Vinil Mathew

Dharma Productions chief Karan Johar and filmmaker Anurag Kashyap have been known to follow two different schools of filmmaking. That however hasn’t kept the two from teaming up for an upcoming film. With his latest directorial venture, Student of the Year receiving rave reviews, Karan Johar is all set to begin producing his next with Anurag Kashyap. While Anurag and Karan have chosen to remain tightlipped and have given out no information in regards to the film, news of Dharma Productions and Phantom Films working together has spilled out. “I have a lot of admiration for the production house since it has directors like Vikas Bahl, Vikramaditya Motwane and Anurag at the helm. I have had such exciting meetings with them, with all the directors discussing storylines, titles and other details of Vinil’s film,” stated Karan.

The project will be directed by Vinil Mathew who directed a television commercial for a coffee brand that featured Deepika Padukone and Karan Johar. “The film is a quintessential love story that will feature a young cast. We will announce the names in a few days,” said Karan, adding, “The way he (Vinil Mathew) handles relationships in his ads is something you can’t ignore. And that is what he is doing in our film too,” articulated Karan Johar.

Apart from that, nothing more has been divulged in regards to this film. there have been rumors of Siddharth Malhotra of Student of the Year fame being cast alongside Parineeti Chopra in this film. “The film is a quintessential love story that will feature a young cast. We will announce the names in a few days,” said Karan, adding, “The way he (Vinil Mathew) handles relationships in his ads is something you can’t ignore. And that is what he is doing in our film too.”

Karan Johar’s newbie, Siddharth Malhotra, is Bollywood’s newest heartthrob

Siddharth Malhotra has made it big with his Bollywood debut in Karan Johar’s Student of the Year. The young actor made his first appearance alongside two more newcomers, Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt. However, while Varun and Alia both hail from filmy backgrounds, with Varun being the son of filmmaker David Dhawan and Alia being director Mahesh Bhatt’s son, Siddharth comes from a completely non-filmy background and was earlier a model. The film was a dream debut for a youngster who has always had an affinity for the world of movies.

“I came to Mumbai to be an actor. I was modeling 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. Then Anubhav started Ra.One. 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,” said Siddharth Malhotra.

He went on to add, “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’. Modeling for me was always part time but to be an actor was always at the back of my head. I now understand pre-production, post-production, shot breakdown, etc. I am now more aware of how a film is made and I knew I had to be in Mumbai for good to be in the profession that I always wanted to pursue - acting.”

Siddharth Malhotra’s debut, Student of the Year, released on the 19th of October, 2012. There have also been rumors of the actor starring in Karan Johar’s upcoming production alongside Parineeti Chopra.

Student of the Year is Karan Johar’s shortest directorial venture

Student of The year

Director-producer Karan Johar is known to be a story-teller. In the past, Karan has directed several films, all of which have been extensive stories that have kept viewers engrossed through their length. Previously, Karan has directed the films Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham (2001), Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006) and My Name Is Khan (2010). Each of these films have been longer than the usual tide of movies and have managed to draw in crowds.

Kuch Hota Hai stretched to 185 minutes and was followed by Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001). This film starred Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan, Kajol, Hrithik Roshan and Kareena Kapoor in the lead and plays for 211 minutes. His longest film, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, runs for a whopping 215 minutes and chronicles the lives of characters played by Shahrukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Rani Mukherjee, Preity Zinta and Kirron Kher. In 2010, Karan Johar directed the film My Name Is Khan which, on the other hand, was timed at 161 minutes.

Karan however decided to keep his most recent directorial venture, Student of the Year, shorter than his previous films. Prior to the film’s release, Karan had articulated “Yes this is going to be the shortest film of my career. Though I am yet to arrive at the final cut, it should be around 135-140 minutes at maximum,” adding, “We have some days of shooting still left. I think I am making a sequel along with the film. I think it’s a never-ending saga... though it’s a fun-frolic, happy film. But I may have overshot it a tad."

Analytically speaking, shorter films do better at multiplexes, allowing more shows to be screened on a single day. As expected, Karan Johar’s Student of the Year featuring Siddharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt was recently crowned a blockbuster!

“I had never thought of getting into the film industry,” says Karan Johar’s debutant, Siddharth Malhotra

Siddharth Malhotra

Siddharth Malhotra has been crowned as one of Bollywood’s most promising newcomer actors. The 27-year-old has recently made his debut with Karan Johar’s Student of the Year. The film is directed by Karan Johar and produced jointly Dharma Productions and Red Chillies Entertainment. Excited as ever, Siddharth Malhotra has been raving on about his big-screen debut ever since the film released on the 19th of October, 2012. I feel I am very lucky to make my debut as an actor with Dharma Production and being directed by Karan Johar. There is no director who could replace him.”

Siddharth began his career as a model in Delhi. He walked the ramp for several international and Indian designers including Rohit Bal, Manish Arora and Manish Malhotra. He has also won several titles including the Gladrags Face of the Year 2009 award and the NDTV Model of the Year 2010. “Modeling happened by chance as someone told me will you do modeling and get paid. I felt it was an easy way to earn good money. It was just a part time thing that I was doing.”

After his stint at modeling, Siddharth moved down to Mumbai to try his hand at acting. After auditioning for a film that failed to take off however, Siddharth began working as an assistant director to Karan Johar for the film My Name is Khan. “I had never thought of getting into the film industry.  When I came to Mumbai four-five years back, I was modeling in Delhi with an agency. Then I was to audition for a film that was for Anubhav Sinha and produced by Adlabs. They selected me as an actor. I was on a high but the film never worked out. It was a big downer. Then I thought since I am trying to get into this industry I must learn the nitty gritty of films. Hence I took up assisting to understand the technicalities of filmmaking.”

Catch Siddharth Malhotra in Karan Johar’s most recent release, Student of the Year.

Karan Johar and his newcomer star-cast pleased with Student of the Year’s success

Student of The Year

“I call Student of the Year my holiday film. I love songs and dance and good-looking people. I won’t apologize for liking this,” says director-producer Karan Johar who lifted the veil off his fifth directorial venture a few weeks ago. Starring newcomers Siddharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt, this campus romance managed to grab a load of attention after its release and continues to do so. “I had no interest in making a film that was close to reality. I don’t want to see anything real for a while. I want to make it look outlandishly fantastic and yet have a film that connects because that’s my personality,” added Karan prior to the film’s release.

The young actors and their mentor-director are ever exuberant about the success of their film and have been raving on about the entire experience, most of which is new for them. “I have been an assistant to Karan Johar from the making of ‘My Name is Khan.’ I am happy to gain recognition now. But it makes me realize one thing distinctly: that I have to keep up to the attitude of a hero,” said Siddharth Malhotra, speaking about the film and his newfound stardom. The film’s center of attraction, Alia Bhatt, went on to add, “Getting love from fans and their appreciation, nonetheless, brings a different kind of a feeling in the actor within me. All I know is that I will have to not take this success lightly but try to put in all my sincere efforts in the right directions, in order maintain this success hereafter.”

The film’s third lead, Varun Dhawan is equally ecstatic about his debut and went on to articulate, “I am happy for the stupendous beginning. After the success of this film, I have decided that I shall sign a few good films from outside banners.” The film also includes veteran actor Rishi Kapoor playing the role of a gay school dean named Yogendra Vasisht. The plot revolves around the intertwining lives of three students at a school played by Siddharth, Varun and Alia.

Karan Johar’s mentee, Siddharth Malhotra, speaks about his walk to fame

“I came to Mumbai to be an actor,” says Bollywood fresh-face, Siddharth Malhotra. The young actor has been grabbing a lot of attention lately with his first big-screen appearance hitting cinema screens. The film, Student of the Year, has been well-received by the audiences and is a Karan Johar directorial venture. Before starring in Karan Johar’s campus romance, Siddharth worked as a model in Delhi and later on moved to Mumbai to audition for a film that however failed to take off. “I was modeling in Delhi with my agency and then came to Mumbai for a film to be directed by Anubhav Sinha after Cash,” said Siddharth Malhotra. “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. Then Anubhav started Ra.One. That's when I thought to stay back and try a bit out in the B-town.”

After this, Siddharth moved on to work as an assistant director to Karan Johar for the film My Name is Khan. “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.”

In the film Student of the Year, Rohan Nanda (Varun Dhawan) and Shanaya Singhania (Alia Bhatt) are dating. In the midst of it all, Abhimanyu Singh (Siddharth Malhotra), the new kid at school, falls in love with Shanaya and befriends Rohan, resulting in a love triangle. The school is presided over by Dean Yogendra Vasisht (Rishi Kapoor), a gay and eccentric individual who organizes the annual Student of the Year competition, which forms the film’s basic premise.

Siddharth Malhotra, Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan debut with Karan Johar’s Student of the Year

Karan Johar’s fifth directorial venture is indeed one of the most popular movies released by Dharma Productions. The film follows his previous hits which include Kuch Hota Hai (1998), Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham (2001), Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006) and My Name Is Khan (2010). Starring debutants Siddharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt, Student of the Year brings to life campus romances and teenage love. The film is a coming of age movie and includes a love triangle between the characters played by Siddharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt. 

Student Of The Year

This Karan Johar film is set in the scenic Dehradun. With a prestigious school as its background, the story takes off with Abhimanyu Singh aka Abhi (Siddharth Malhotra) walking into his new school. A boy from a middle-class background who knows how to stand his ground amongst the children of richer folk, Abhi manages to grab a load of attention from his peers. In the midst of it all, he meets Rohan Nanda (Varun Dhawan). Their rivalry turns to friendship after an incident that brings them together. On the other hand, Abhi ends up falling in love with Shanaya Singhania (Alia Bhatt), despite the fact the Rohan is her boyfriend! This causes a love-triangle between the three. 

As the plot unwinds, the three join the Student of the Year competition, each trying to win the trophy for their own reasons. The competition is presided over by the school’s gay dean, Yogendra Vasisht (Rishi Kapoor) who pushes the students to put on their competitive best. 

The film is a joyride indeed and gives viewers a peek at young love and the ups and downs of campus life. Released on the 19^th of October, 2012, Student of the Year was extremely well-received and has given Siddharth Malhotra, Varun Shawan and Alia Bhatt a perfect launch!