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.