Is Mohit Marwah Karan Johar’s upcoming debutant?

Karan Johar’s fifth directorial venture, Student of the Year, worked as a perfect stepping stone for debutants Siddharth Malhotra, Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan. The trio starred as students at a well-heeled educational institute at Dehradun, presided over by a gay dean played by veteran actor, Rishi Kapoor. The film sees Varun and Alia dating while Siddharth plays a middle-class boy who ends up grabbing the limelight and winning the attention of the prettiest girl at school.

After having successfully launched Siddharth, Alia and Varun’s careers, Karan is currently planning to introduce yet another fresh actor, or so thinks B-town. According to sources, actor Arjun Kapoor’s cousin brother, Mohit Marwah, is currently being groomed for a big Bollywood debut. The youngster has previously starred in Karan Johar’s production, Strangers in the Night. The son of Bonny Kapoor’s sister Reena and Sandeep Marwah, Mohit seems to have the good looks of the Kapoors and could very well be the next big star! Not much has been reported about the newbie being roped in by Karan Johar or other filmmakers though.

Siddharth, Alia and Varun were Karan’s first debutants to have ever played a lead role in a film directed by the Dharma Productions chief. Previously, Karan has launched several directors with his productions. The actor has brought to the spotlight fresh talent that has given the Bollywood industry a whole new touch. 

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.

Siddharth Malhotra rumored to have signed film with Madhur Bhandarkar

Siddharth Malhotra has enjoyed a dream debut with his first big-screen appearance in Karan Johar’s fifth directorial venture, Student of the Year. The newcomer starred in the film alongside two more newcomers, Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt, playing the role of an ambitious middle-class boy at a well-heeled school. Alia plays the campus sweetheart while Varun plays her boyfriend. After his debut film, Siddharth has signed yet another film produced by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions. To be directed by Vinil Mathew, the film titled Hasee Toh Phasee will also star Parineeti Chopra and is a romantic comedy.

Lately, there have been rumors of Siddharth signing his third film, this time away from the Dharma Productions camp. Apparently, the 28-year-old actor has signed a film with filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar. Not much has been revealed in regards to the unnamed project and the filmmaker as well as Siddharth has denied its existence. “All this is just a rumor. It is not true. Madhur has not signed Siddharth for any film,” said the filmmaker’s spokesperson.

And these aren’t the only rumors surrounding Siddharth’s future projects. A source recently revealed that the actor has signed an upcoming action flick. "Yes, he (Siddharth) has almost finalized this action film. It takes him into an altogether different space when compared to the two films (Student of the Year and the upcoming Hasee Toh Phasee) that he has been a part of,” said the source.

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.

Emraan Hashmi, Kareena Kapoor in Karan Johar’s joint venture with Ekta Kapoor

Producers Ekta Kapoor and Karan Johar have been in the news constantly lately ever since tidings of their upcoming joint venture first made headlines. The upcoming film will be produced by Ekta Kapoor's Balaji and Karan Johar's Dharma Productions and will be directed by Akshay Roy. The upcoming film, one of the many projects in Karan Johar’s bag, will star superstar Emraan Hashmi and the equally popular and loved Kareena Kapoor. Confirming the same, the CEO of Balaji Motion Pictures, Tanuj Garg, tweeted, "For those asking, the untitled Balaji-Dharma romantic drama is taking off in September. Starring Emraan Hashmi & Kareena."

The film, expected to go on floors in September, 2013, will see Emraan Hashmi playing a role a step away from his usual. "This film will see him play a character that is very different from his previous roles,” said Karan, speaking about Emraan. “But having said that, his fan base will be totally satisfied with him as the chemistry that the lead actors share is great, romantically as well as sexually."

Speaking about the upcoming film’s genre and what audiences should expect from this Balaji-Dharma joint venture, Karan articulated, “Ekta and I had been deliberating for a while to work together, but we were sure we wanted to work on something different and edgy. This script was perfect. I'd call it a love-hate story. In fact, it is one of the most interesting scripts I've read in recent times. Both the protagonists are strong characters and have a great opportunity to perform."

A release date has not been confirmed yet and the film is expected to take the big-screen by storm, just like the rest of Ekta, Karan and Emraan’s individual past projects.

Student of the Year – Love, relationships, rivalry and sports!

Not a lot of films that hit the big-screen remain in memories forever. Well, some of them do and continue to enthrall audiences months after their release. One of these is Karan Johar’s Student of the Year. The film is a campus romance that revolves around a love triangle and a sporting event. Starring newcomers Siddharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt, this film was crowned a blockbuster and is one of the many jewels on Karan Johar’s crown!

Abhimanyu Singh aka Abhi (Siddharth Malhotra), a middle-class boy, enrolls at a well-heeled school on a scholarship. Here, he is torn between two groups at school, the affluent children of some of the richest folks in the country and the middle-class kids. Despite his background, Abhi manages to befriend the wealthy campus sweetheart Shanaya Singhania (Alia Bhatt) and her boyfriend Rohan Nanda (Varun Dhawan). Rohan and Abhi become best friends and the former introduces the latter to a world of riches and extravagance. However, when Abhi falls in love with Shanaya and her boyfriend Rohan learns of their feelings, the two best friends turn into rivals.

When the school’s gay dean, Yogendra Vasisht (Rishi Kapoor), announces the Student of the Year competition, Abhi and Rohan lock horns. They then compete against each other, trying to win the school trophy and Shanaya’s heart.
The film released on the 19th of October, 2012, and could very well have a sequel coming up soon!

“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.