Karan Johar tweets about Student of the Year sequel!

Every great film deserves a sequel and Karan Johar’s Student of the Year is sure to have one too! A campus romance that released on the 19trh of October 2012, this film directed by Karan Johar and produced jointly by Dharma Productions and Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment starred three debutants, Siddharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt. Speaking about the second installment of this blockbuster, Karan Johar recently tweeted, "For all those asking... definitely planning SOTY 2. Dharma (Productions) plans to make it a franchise and launch new talent with it each time (sic)."

The original film has Siddharth Malhotra play the role of Abhimanyu Singh, a middle-class boy with big dreams and ambitions. His life changes when he steps into the prestigious St. Teresa’s High School in Dehradun where he meets some of the richest kids in town. At school, Abhimanyu meets Shanaya Singhania (Alia Bhatt), the campus sweetheart and her boyfriend Rohan Nanda (Varun Dhawan), the hottest hunk at school. While Rohan and Abhi initially dislike each other, their rivalry turns into friendship. Things go astray however when Abhi falls in love with Shanaya and Rohan finds out.

And that’s not all that makes this film so special. Student of the Year also has its fair share of sporting action as the film captures the Student of the Year competition held by the school’s gay and eccentric dean, Yogendra Vasisht (Rishi Kapoor). The competition causes a bigger rivalry between Rohan and Abhi as each of them try to win the grand prize and Shanaya’s heart.

Siddharth Malhotra to make his second big-screen appearance with Hasee Toh Phasee

Siddharth Malhotra tasted success with his Bollywood debut, Student of the Year. A Karan Johar campus romance, this film also starred Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt, both of who were debutants. In the film, Siddharth played Abhimanyu Singh, an ambitious middle-class boy who enrolls at a dream-like educational institution. At the school, he crosses paths with Shanaya Singhania (played by Alia Bhatt) and her boyfriend Rohan Nanda (Varun Dhawan). Due to circumstances, Abhi befriends Rohan. Their friendship is pushed off the edge however when Abhi falls for Shanaya and her boyfriend Rohan learns about the same. The film released on the 19th of October, 2012, and was proclaimed a blockbuster.

After his debut success, Siddharth will soon be seen in his second film, Hasee Toh Phasee. A joint production by Karan Johar and Anurag Kashyap, the film will see him star opposite Parineeti Chopra. “Everything is different about this film - its genre, the people I am working with, the actress, the world I'll be living in, etc. The first film chooses you but today I am proud that I chose my second film. It's a love story of a different kind. I won't romance the same way, I can tell you that (laughs). We start shooting end of April,” said Siddharth, speaking about the film.

The film will be directed by Vinil Mathew, and is Karan Johar’s first production with Anurag Kashyap. “He is a cool guy. I've met him a couple of times and interestingly, Karan told me all about the adverts he had shot so far,” said Siddharth, speaking about Anurag. “Hasee Toh Phasee was an interesting read. I guess now the actual struggle begins! And look at this, the title of such kind after my first film,” added Siddharth.

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 announces Gori Tere Pyar Mein; to be directed by Punit Malhotra

Filmmaker has had a successful 2012 at the box office with his films, Agneepath, Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu and his fifth directorial venture, Student of the Year, all being crowned hits. While Agneepath was a remake of the cult-favorite film, Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu was a romantic comedy starring Imran Khan and Kareena Kapoor. The film was directed by Punit Malhotra. As for Student of the Year, this ground-breaking film was a campus-romance with which Karan Johar broke several movie-making trends. The movie starred Siddharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt, all of who are debutants.

Recently, Karan announced his next film with director Punit Malhotra, titled Gori Tere Pyar Mein. The film will yet again star the leading couple, starring Imran Khan and Kareena Kapoor, who have charmed audiences with Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu. While no official statement has been made in regards to the film except its announcement and the revealing of the star cast; an insider states, "After a long wait and lot of brainstorming, producer Karan Johar and director Punit Malhotra have finally decided to title Imran Khan and Kareena Kapoor starrer film as Gori Tere Pyar Mein."

Also, the film is reported to go on floors by March this year. The release date of the film has not being announced officially and Imran Khan and Kareena Kapoor have remained tight-lipped in regards to the same. Stay tuned for more on this upcoming 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.

Student of the Year director, Karan Johar, clears rumors a gay orientation

 Being one of India’s most renowned and recognized filmmakers isn’t easy. Handling fame does get difficult at times, particularly when gossip-mongers begin whispering rumors that hold no substance. Karan Johar, a director, producer and the head of the film production house, Dharma Productions, has been subjected to rumors as such since quite a while now. A man married to his work and his profession, Karan has kept his personal life under wraps and has preferred being tight-lipped about his relationships. This, disappointingly, has led to a tide of false rumors!

“There are people who have asked me on the national television sometimes, and it was a Hindi show, it was meant to be about a tie-up with another channel and something unsavory came my way, asking me very directly about my sexual orientation(gay) and I looked at him and said why are you interested? Because it was said in such a strange way,” said Karan Johar in an interview with Simi Garewal a while ago.

Further beating down rumors of his orientation, Karan Johar added, “Obviously if you are single, you are 39, there will be conjecture about your sexuality and your orientation, I have no problem with that, and I am very comfortable with hearing all kinds of rumors that float around, I am very comfortable with what people have to say, their perception of my orientation, what they think, what all they think I am part of, and I have no problem with the territory I can't be upset or angry about it.”

Not one to justify his silence and publicize his personal life, Karan Johar seems unaffected by the exploits of rumor-mongers, knowing full well that it’s just a part of being a celebrity!

Siddharth Malhotra’s female fans send him 42 bouquets on his birthday

Siddharth Malhotra, the dashing hunk who made his debut in Karan Johar’s fifth directorial venture, Student of the Year, recently celebrated his 28th birthday. Though the newcomer had planned a quite affair, his birthday certainly turned out to be more than just that! Before his birthday, Siddharth articulated, “I’m sad that I won’t be going to Delhi to be with my family. However, I am also glad to be a working on my birthday. After one release, I feel grown up in a strange way. People start treating you differently. I’ll have a small dinner at home with friends, mostly people from Dharma Productions like Karan (Johar), Manish (Malhotra), Varun (Dhawan), Alia (Bhatt), Kayoze Irani and Shakun (Batra). It’s not a big birthday bash, so I am not calling Ranbir (Kapoor) or Imran (Khan).”

Well, his mentor-director Karan Johar and his fans made sure Siddharth’s birthday was a lot more than a quite dinner! The actor was surprised by Karan Johar and the Dharma Productions team who threw Siddharth a surprise birthday bash. “It was just how people celebrate their birthdays. We all gathered at Siddharth’s house and cut a cake and had lots of fun. Siddharth and Varun danced to the tunes of their recent release, and Alia Bhatt joined them. Karan got a tad emotional toward the end as all his three finds (and friends) are now gearing up for their upcoming projects,” says a source.

And that’s not where the surprises stop. The birthday boy woke up to find his home crowded with nearly 42 bouquets. All sent to him by his female fans who simply can’t get enough of Siddharth! A source mentioned, "Siddharth was really moved. It was a pleasant birthday surprise."

Karan Johar brings debutant directors in the limelight

Karan Johar

Most producers prefer roping in experienced directors instead of newcomers. Well, that’s just what separates the heir to Dharma Productions, Karan Johar from the rest! Having successfully directed four movies over the last decade, including Kuch Kuch Hota Hai in 1998, followed by Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham (2001), Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006), My Name Is Khan (2010) and Student of the Year (2012), Karan Johar has co-directed and produced films for several first-time directors. Just last year, Karan Johar produced the film Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu, marking the directorial debut of Shakun Batra. Karan has also launched Karan Malhotra with the film Agneepath, a retelling of the original released in 1990.

Till date, Karan Johar has produced nine films that were directed by first-time directors. For Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003), a romantic drama film starring Shah Rukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Preity Zinta and Jaya Bachchan, he roped in Nikhil Advani. Karan Johar has introduced Tarun Mansukhani with Dostana (2008). For the film Wake Up Sid (2009), Dharma Productions put debutant director Ayan Mukerji’s talents to play.

And that’s not all. Karan Johar has also produced films for Punit Malhotra (I Hate Luv Storys), Renzil D’Slive (Kurbaan), and his assistant director Siddharth Malhotra (We Are Family). Now, Karan has joined hands with Anurag Kashyap for an upcoming film titled Hasee Toh Phasee. The film will be directed by Vinil Mathew who has shown his knack for direction with ad films for a coffee brand. The Dharma Productions banner will also unveil yet another film by a new director, Akshay Roy, who will call the shots for the upcoming Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani.

“Audience has the ultimate power,” says Karan Johar’s newbie, Siddharth Malhotra

While most newcomers usually take a while to comprehend the industry and understand the finer points of Bollywood that can only be learned with experience, Karan Johar’s protégé Siddharth Malhotra seems to have mastered it all from his mentor! The newcomer made his debut in Karan Johar’s fifth film, Student of the Year, playing the lead alongside Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt.

“I was always the quiet one around on the sets and used to observe the proceedings. So one day Karan came up to me and told me what his father, Mr. Yash Johar told him once, that goes, 'If you ever have to invest in something, invest in people.' That was very interesting. I was an AD at that time,” says Siddharth, speaking about the wisdom imparted to him by his mentor Karan Johar. According to the youngster, it’s the audience who matters most in the success of the film. “Yes! Audience has the ultimate power, especially the youth. If you are not liked, no matter by whom you are backed by or whoever's son or daughter you are, it's game over for you.”

And that’s not all. Siddharth also seems to understand the difference between gossip and news that matters. “Everything written in the media should not be taken seriously. It's a mental game. You need to detach yourself from reviews, media, etc. How to survive before and after release too matters a lot. So the audience is finally the one who gives you the green signal whether you will survive in this industry or not, and nobody else,” added Siddharth.

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.

Karan Johar and Ekta Kapoor to produce film starring Emraan Hashmi

Karan Johar has made headlines recently with the release of his fifth directorial venture, Student of the Year. Now, after the tremendous success of his coming-of-age campus romance, director-producer Karan Johar is drawing up plans for his next project. As per reports, the Dharma Productions chief will tie up with producer Ekta Kapoor for the upcoming project. Apparently, the film is a love-hate story that will star actor Emraan Hashmi in the lead. “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,” said Karan Johar.

While the film’s female lead and director is yet to be confirmed, Karan Johar seems excited to be working with Emraan. "I always liked him from before. I liked him in Once Upon A Time in Mumbai, The Dirty Picture, I think he really suited the role so well. For this film (untitled) the script suited him... it is different for him and yet it suited him tremendously. I am really very excited about it," said Karan.

Previously, Karan Johar has directed several films including Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham (2001), Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006), My Name Is Khan (2010) and Student of the Year (2012). Apart from that, he has also produced several films under his Dharma Productions banner. Stay tuned for more on this multifaceted filmmaker and his plans for the future!

Karan Johar found directing newcomers to be a challenging task

Karan Johar stepped away from his usual filmmaking rituals for his latest release, Student of the Year. For one, this was his shortest movie. A director known for rolling out particularly long sagas, Karan chose to keep Student of the Year short. Apart from that, the film was Karan’s first directorial venture without his close friend and lucky charm, Shah Rukh Khan, in the lead. Instead, Karan chose to settle for three newcomers to grace the lead. Obviously, given the fact that this was Karan’s first without seasoned actors, the film was indeed a challenge for the director.

“You Know I think I was more stressed out than them, because you have to deconstruct your own ways of directing. You kind of get into a pattern with movie stars specially with Shah Rukh, and I think I got into a pattern as a director directing him and other movie stars, so I had to kind of deconstruct my own thought process. I found myself giving them really archaic instructions – telling them things like the way Shah Rukh may have done it, over instructing them, giving them stardom instructions and bringing them into your movie frame.”

The film’s lead, Siddharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt have indeed managed to charm audiences with their debut and have pulled off their respective roles exceptionally well. “Sometimes you need to let people be, which what I was not doing in my first 20 days of work. I was behaving like a really prehistoric, dated and been there done that kind of filmmaker (chuckles). Then I realized that if I am launching new talent I have to leverage from their roughness, their rawness and I shouldn’t over instruct them. Eventually it became fun because I kind of began feeding off their energy,” added Karan Johar.

Karan Johar’s film Student of the Year released on the 19th of October, 2012. This campus romance was proclaimed a blockbuster and received rave reviews.

Karan Johar denies rift in his friendship with Shah Rukh Khan

Director-producer Karan Johar and megastar Shah Rukh Khan have shared a long-standing friendship. The two have forever shared mutual respect and have showered each other’s work with praise from time to time. Karan and Shah Rukh have also worked together more than once with the director roping in the actor for the lead role in all of his directorial ventures except his most recent film, Student of the Year. Shah Rukh Khan has starred in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham (2001), Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006) and My Name Is Khan (2010) and has jointly produced the film Student of the Year with Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions.

Despite all of this however, recent rumors of a rift between the two surfaced. Karan Johar however denies it all saying, "Aditya Chopra and Shah Rukh are the two reasons I am in the industry. Shah Rukh is like my older brother, and I am bound to him for emotional, spiritual and professional reasons. Like wine, he keeps getting better with age.” The director also went all out with praise for Shah Rukh’s recent film by the late Yash Chopra titled Jab Tak Hai Jaan "From Kuch Kuch Hota Hai to MNIK or even Jab Tak Hai Jaan... he has grown in strength, stature. The intensity and maturity with which he performed his role of a lover and soldier in Jab Tak Hai Jaan speaks of a man who has seen life,” added Karan.

For Karan Johar, the Shah Rukh Khan he knows on-screen is unlike the person he knows in real life. The director said, "I always tell him, his off-screen persona makes him a bigger star than his on-screen presence. It would be exciting for any filmmaker to work with him now." One thing’s for sure. There’s no breaking Shah Rukh Khan and Karan Johar’s bonds of friendship!

Karan Johar’s love-hate story to star Emraan Hashmi in the lead

Karan Johar is known to create on-screen magic and is currently drawing up plans for his future projects. A few months ago, Karan released his fifth directorial venture, Student of the Year. The film, as expected, was successful at the box office and launched into the galaxy of stars three debutants, Siddharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt. For his upcoming project, Karan Johar has teamed up with Balaji Telefilms’ Ekta Kapoor. The film will include actor Emraan Hashmi who has had a string of hit films including Once Upon A Time in Mumbai, Murder 2, The Dirty Picture and Jannat 2.

"Emraan is doing a film for us, Rensil is directing it. And we are also talking to Emraan for another project. I have great amount of respect and regard for him and his talent and the way he strategies his career. He is very talented actor. It is never late, there is always a right time," said Karan Johar a while ago. The director has showered the talented young actor with praise, calling him a terrific actor with a note-worthy fan-base.

"I always liked him from before. I liked him in Once Upon A Time in Mumbai, The Dirty Picture, I think he really suited the role so well. For this film (untitled) the script suited him... it is different for him and yet it suited him tremendously. I am really very excited about it," added Karan Johar.

Speaking about the film’s genre, Karan added “. 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."