Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions steps away from the conventional

"Initially, Dharma was associated with good-looking cinema. That was our USP. But now, with the kind of films we have been doing — from action to rom-coms to even socially relevant films — versatility is what defines us best today," articulated Karan, one of India’s most versatile filmmakers who has been experimenting with the films he has been dishing out recently.

Karan Johar has ruled the year 2012 with his hit releases Agneepath, Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu and Student of the Year. While the first two films were produced by Karan’s production house, the film Student of the Year was also directed by him and produced jointly by Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment.
Speaking about the films released by his banner this year, Karan said, "While it was special for me to begin the year with a remake of my father's film, Agneepath, Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu broke the myth about rom-coms having a happy ending. It was bitter-sweet and unusual. With Student of the Year, we launched three fresh faces for the first time. The idea is to launch many more films and expand our base." His newest film is a trend-breaker of sorts for the director and is his fifth directorial venture. Student of the Year is the first film without Karan’s lucky mascot and good friend, Shah Rukh Khan, in the lead. This is also the first time Karan has relied completely on a cast of newcomers playing the lead.

In the near future, Karan will release a bunch of films including the Siddharth Malhotra-starrer Hasee Toh Phasee and the coming-of-age film Gippi.

“I am extremely proud of Varun," says David Dhawan, speaking about the SOTY star

Varun Dhawan managed to step into the spotlight with his spectacular performance in Karan Johar’s Student of the Year. Starring in the lead alongside two more newcomers, Siddharth Malhotra and Alia Bhatt, young Varun managed to make a perfect debut with the campus romance. The actor played the role of a rich and spoilt boy with a soft side and pulled off his role extremely well, winning him the attention of fans, young and old.

David Dhawan

Obviously, Varun’s father, the veteran filmmaker David Dhawan, is extremely proud about his son’s achievements and his fantastic debut. "It's payback time I would say with Varun's entry into showbiz. After working so hard in the industry, I am glad the industry has accepted my son. It's the initial stage and the way they have welcomed him nothing like it. I am extremely proud of Varun," Dhawan said.
The younger Dhawan is now readying himself to star in yet another film, this time directed by his father David and produced by Balaji Telefilms’ honcho, Ekta Kapoor. The film, titled Mein Tera Hero, is expected to be a romantic comedy and will give the audiences a treat.

David Dhawan on the other hand is busy preparing for the launch of his film Chashme Baddoor, a remake of the 1981 cult-classic. The upcoming film stars Ali Zafar, Siddharth and Taapsee Pannu and has won a lot of attention off-late for its slapstick humor and catchy music. "Whatever I could, I have done and made some changes and kept the soul of the film. I haven't removed the soul of the film and kept it entertaining," said David, speaking about the upcoming film.

Karan Johar’s Gippi poster unveiled!

The Dharma Productions chief, Karan Johar, has a way of surprising the audiences with his films. Lately, he unveiled his upcoming production, Gippi, with the release of the film’s first poster. To be produced by Dharma Productions and directed by Sonam Nair, the upcoming film is a coming-of-age film that revolves around the life of an overweight 13-year-old girl who simply doesn’t see the point of dieting or losing her baby fat!

Karan Johar’s Gippi poster unveiled!

The film stars Delhi-based 13-year-old Riya Vij playing the role of Gippi. The film has been shot extensively in Shimla as well as Mumbai, as per reports and rumors, and is a one-of-a-kind movie that will move viewers to tears, with its humor and simple yet touching tale. 

To promote the film, Karan Johar has been roping in a bunch of actors who best relate to Gippi. Actress Parineeti Chopra as well as her Ishaqzaade co-star Arjun Kapoor has promoted the film by featuring in teaser promos for the film. “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,” says an insider. Gippi is scheduled for a 10^th May, 2013, release. 

Apart from this film, Karan Johar has also unveiled yet another project, titled Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. This film is directed by Ayan Mukerji and is scheduled to release on the 31^st of May, 2013.

“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.

Siddharth Malhotra and Parineeti Chopra bond on the sets of Hasee Toh Phasee

Karan Johar’s upcoming film, Hasee Toh Phasee, has been in the spotlight constantly these days, ever since the filmmaker made its announcement official. Starring two B-town newbies, Parineeti Chopra and Siddharth Malhotra, this film will be a romantic tale with a dash of humor. Parineeti is just a couple of films old while Siddharth debuted in Karan Johar’s Student of the Year.

Given the fact that the two actors are young and have a load to learn together, Siddharth and Parineeti seem to have bonded pretty well on the sets of the upcoming movie. The two are said to spend quite a lot of time talking and having long conversations. This doesn’t deter them from their work however and the two actors have been as professional as ever on the sets.

A source said, The two are spending a lot of time on their prep sessions and even after that are often seen indulging in long conversations. Both are very professional in their approach to work, but beyond that they are seen bonding on several other things too.” The source also went on to add, “While Siddharth is the shy guy, Parineeti is the talkative one. Being Punjabis, both are big time foodies and food is one of their favorite topics of discussion too.”

There has been no report in regards to the official release date of the film yet. Also, besides the official announcement of the film and the unveiling of its cast, Karan Johar hasn’t divulged much. Hasee Toh Phasee will be directed by Vinil Mathew.

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.”

Siddharth Malhotra - “Walking the ramp for Manish is a good feeling”

Siddharth Malhotra, the Student of the Year star who was launched into stardom with the Karan Johar film alongside Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt, has worked as a model before. The young actor walked the ramp several times and was based in Delhi as a model before moving to Mumbai to jump aboard the Bollywood bandwagon. Recently, Siddharth stepped back on-stage to feature as a showstopper at designer Manish Malhotra’s gig at the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week.

The 28-year-old actor was thrilled to share the ramp with actresses Esha Gupta and Jacqueline Fernandez and went on to state, "Walking the ramp for Manish is a good feeling. He has designed my clothes in Student of the Year too, so I think I am lucky". The actor received a load of appreciation and applause from the audience who cheered him on as he graced the runway. Speaking about his attire, Siddharth said, “As you can see there is a lot of work on my bandhgala, Manish started working on it two months earlier".

The show was titled Threads of Emotion and celebrated Phulkari embroidery, native to Punjab. "As you can see there's a lot of emphasis on Phulkari work and it is not just a celebration of these traditional craft but also a presentation of art," added the designer Manish Malhotra, adding, "Wills India Fashion Week is just the beginning. The idea is to focus on craftsmanship and showcase it at various fashion weeks by roping in celebrities, thus making it more popular and influencing more people to wear these pieces."