Social media has killed the star: Karan Johar

Karan Johar on the fading era of the Khans, Kapoor and Kumars and how the young generation 'cheats' on its new icons

Your chat show is slated to take off soon. What has changed in the film fraternity between the last season and now?
(Smiles) A lot. The people are pretty much the same, but everyone has a new lover, new enemy and a new controversy. And yes, there is a whole new generation which has come in. These people are candid, brave, have no baggage or a sense of caution that comes with success. They are irreverent and don't mind giving you an opinion. Their reflexes are unusual and they are great fun to watch.

You have worked with the stars and now you have surrounded yourself with young talent. Do you think the socalled star system is changing?
The stardom of Shah Rukh, Akshay, Ajay, Aamir, Salman, Hrithik and Saif is unattainable. But this kind of manic hero worship is going to diminish. There are too many younger stars. And by virtue of the numbers, stardom will be divided among the younger lot. You will not have that kind of euphoria or reach that ecstatic level...

Is diluted stardom just a function of numbers?
The younger generation of fans does not have the kind of reverence the older lot had for their idols. The young lot love and adore and move on quickly. They cheat on their idols quite a lot. Their loyalty does not have longevity. Much like in the West where there is a new teen icon every year. So you have a Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise and Will Smith at the end of their humongous stardom, now doing something else. Our country still loves the Khans and the Kumars and the Kapoors, but things are changing fast.

Do you think technology has played a part in killing the star?
Absolutely. With social media and smart phones, stars are literally in your bedroom, drawing room and bathroom on a daily basis and you cannot escape an overdose. The euphoria around a star has watered down. And to keep the young lot entertained and interested, I have to introduce new talent every year, which we are doing at Dharma.

When you swap an established and experienced cast with a completely new team, do you not miss out on the depth that the former would add to your film?
Intensity and depth mean different things to different generations. Some of the young ones are prolific and extremely evolved. But they grow up much faster. We were a lot more innocent in our 20s than them. I can have a complete conversation about life and philosophy with a 25-year-old, because they have seen the world. But yes, the whole poetry of life is a lot different for me than it is for them. Some of us grew up knowing and understanding what pain, love and heartbreak is. I fester, the younger generation just moves on. Their love and emotions run dry, their tears are very seasonal, my tears run every day. Even then, I would say they are a lot stronger.

As a filmmaker working with and for both generations, how do you find a balance?
One finds it eventually. I could never write a scene today like I did in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, where a mother meets a son in a mall after 10 years. Today, if I were to tackle the same situation, I would treat it differently - the slow motion, the music, the chorus and the drama would not be there, it would be very subtle, real. I would not do away with the situation, because I believe in that sense of drama.

With Bombay Talkies, you chose to focus on a complex husband-wife relationship, which has always been your strength. You could have moved in a completely different direction, why didn't you?
I actually liked the story which is about the grey area that the couple has to walk in life. Most relationships go through that grey patch. But I have always been intrigued with the fact that it is only in a marital relationship that you come out with deceit, betrayals and lies. You are far more honest with your parents, siblings or even friends. My attempt with Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna was to talk that zone, this is one step higher than that.

But KANK faced fierce criticism.
True. We were far more progressive in the 40s and 50s. We are celebrating hundred years of cinema but emotionally we have regressed.

How do you arrive at that?
There was a film called Sharda (1957) starring Raj Kapoor and Meena Kumari in which they are in love but eventually she marries his father and he has to touch his lover's feet. That gets accepted but Lamhe goes on to become an unsuccessful film. That is the unfortunately the travesty and the dichotomy of this country. Arth, made in the 80s, is niche but successful. Now you have the moral police breathing down your neck. But that should not stop any one of us. Cinema can change our moral fabric. But yes, I saw a completely new level of double standards in the vicious reaction to KANK. I admit, it was flawed, but the way the film's moral fibre was questioned, surprised me.

Was it because you were associated the cinema of wholesome family values?
(Nods in agreement) From loving your parents to leaving your wife, it was obviously a leap of faith. But if I don't take those leaps with cinema I will stagnate into oblivion.

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Huma Qureshi teaches Emraan Hashmi to kiss!

Emraan Hashmi's stature has certainly gone beyond his initial tag of being just a serial kisser. The actor, who has shown his acting and superstar chops in films like 'Shanghai' and 'Jannat2', is one of the most coveted talents in Bollywood now. However, when Emraan is in a film, kissing becomes an integral part of the script.

But for a change, the actor has let his co-star take charge. A source told us that in his latest film, Ek Thi Daayan, there is a scene where Huma Qureshi and Emmi are required to get intimate. Naturally, nothing could convey it better than a lip-to-lip kiss. So, the set was emptied out and only the bare minimum technicians stood back to capture the scene.

Surprisingly, the one who took charge was not Emmi, but his co-star Huma. She actually made him comfortable and when the scene was shot, she is said to have remarked, 'Finally, I have met my match'. Emraan sportingly said, "Yeah, we have a kiss, but I let Huma take over."
But there is a dampener: One hears that the kiss was to be part of the new promos, but the Central Board of Film Certification has raised objection. Wait and watch for what round two in this producer-censor constant tug of war has to offer.

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I am tired of kissing on screen: Emraan Hashmi

Actor Emraan Hashmi, who has carved a niche for himself in his ten-year Bollywood career, says he is happy to get his due after having created a new genre of mainstream films in the industry.

"As an actor I was not accepted for the longest time. But it did not deter me as the audience had accepted me. I never compared myself with any other actors. I never had any game plan and took whatever came my way," Emraan told .
"I think, slowly I started getting my due. I am very happy that filmmakers like Vishal Bharadwaj and Karan Johar have started approaching me."
The 34-year-old has completed close to a decade in the industry and his greatest accomplishment is that he has always tried to do different kind of films.
"During the first five years of my career I was criticised for doing similar kind of roles. I always tried to get out of my comfort zone. During these years I created a new genre of mainstream films, which this industry hadn't seen earlier. Our mainstream films are mostly family dramas or comedies but my films have always been different from the rest," he said.
Emraan is now looking for better scripts and interesting roles to portray on screen.
"I am looking for bigger and more successful films, better scripts to work on and some interesting characters. The effort always remains that my new film outdoes my last in terms of performance and gets better box office success," he said.
"Box office is the sole reason why I do films. Sometimes I know a film might not pull the audience to the theatres and have a great collection at the box office. But I need to do these films for creative satisfaction and give something different to the audience," he added.

But at the same time, Emraan never compares his film's success to the box office results of other films and actors.
Also, one thing that has not changed over the years is his 'serial kisser' image.

"I am tired of kissing on screen. I have to do it because it is synonymous with me. Also, the producers and directors want to add that element. I don't give it too much importance," he said.

Emraan has interesting projects lined up for release like Rajkumar Gupta's 'Ghanchakkar' opposite Vidya Balan and Karan Johar's home production film 'Unglee' and a Hollywood film for Bosnian director Danis Tanovic (his film, 'No Man's Land' won the Oscar in 2002).

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Birthday girl Anushka Sharma turns 25

Birthday girl

 The ever vivacious Anushka Sharma celebrates her birthday on May 1
Today is the birthday of the chirpy, lively and doubtlessly talented actress Anushka Sharma. The girl turns 25.

As the Bangalore girl who got her lucky break in 2008 with none other than the superstar of Bollywood Shahrukh Khan in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, Anushka Sharma has come a long way in the last four years. Though her filmography is not without its share of flop flicks, Anushka’s portrayal of an enterprising wedding planner in Band Baaja Baaraat and the daring documentary filmmaker in Jab Tak Hai Jaan have stood out as the performances of her career.

And you may be surprised to know that though Anushka exudes tons of confidence on screen, she says in real life she’s very shy and under-confident.

“I am a very under-confident person. Whatever is seen in films is just a projection of my character. I wish I could be as confident as the characters I play on screen, but I am not. I am a very shy person,” the 25-year-old recently told reporters at Times of India Film Awards (TOIFA) in Vancouver.

You may also be surprised to know that Anushka didn’t really plan on to become an actress.

“It wasn't planned as I came from Bangalore. We don't have the influence of films. I didn't grow up watching films, so it wasn't a decision to be an actor. But god had something different planned for me,” she said.

Presently, Anushka Sharma is looking forward to three major films: Peekay with Aamir Khan, Bombay Velvet with Ranbir Kapoor and Paani with Hrithik Roshan

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Starlet Sasheh Aagha wows in her first fashion shoot on Harper’s Bazaar

Sexy Sasheh Aagha in her first fashion shoot for Harper’s Bazaar! Catch the stills

Sensuous Sasheh!

Here’s the light-eyed beauty Sasheh Aagha. You have already seen Sasheh strutting her stuff in a black bikini in the first trailer of YRF’s Aurangzeb -- her debut film. Now check out her first fashion shoot with Harper’s Bazaar India. Sasheh Aagha is the covergirl for Harper’s Bazaar May issue, which is summer fashion special. Styled by Ami Patel, the siren is shot by Tarun Khiwal in an array of flirty and sheer dresses by various known brands. Sasheh is seen wearing a sexy blue outfit with beautiful cutout details by Alice+Olivia for the cover, while for the rest of the shoot she is dazzling in some of the most expensive dresses by brands like Red Valentino. Harper’s Bazaar stylist Hasnanin tweets, “Cover Girl is devouring us, going beyond fantasies in a beautiful @alice_olivia dress is @SashehAagha.” Salma Agha’s pretty daughter has also given her first interview to the magazine, and opened up about her career choice, being a Bollywood beginner, and living up to her mother’s legacy. Unlike her mother who mainly portrayed conventional roles throughout her career, Sasheh has a glamorous role in her very first film. The girl has puckered up to co-star Arjun KapoorSexy Sasheh Aagha in her first fashion shoot for Harper’s Bazaar! Catch the stills, and even shot for a steamy scene with him in Aurangzeb. She is originally named Zara Agha Khan, but changed it to Sasha, and now it’s Sasheh Aagha. All this for a successful Bollywood career, girl? Here’s the stunner from Harper’s Bazaar May issue:

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Watch uncensored version of Sunny Leone’s hot item 'Laila'

Shootout At Wadala

With more than 2 million hits on YouTube, Sunny Leone’s first item number ‘Laila’ is a superhit with her fans and the hot siren has prompted the makers of Shootout At Wadala to release the uncensored version of the song. While the earlier censored version was 2 minutes 32 secs long, this new uncensored version offers a lot more of Sunny Leone’s scorching hot curves at the duration of 4 minutes 21 secs. In other words, it’s a full song as it would appear in the Sanjay Gupta-directed film Shootout At Wadala which hits theatres this Friday. The song has Sunny dressed in shimmery cholis and ghagras, all designed by Manish Malhotra, the man who gave Kareena Kapoor a sexy makeover for the item track ‘Fevicol Se’. In Laila, Sunny Leone shows her ample curves, and nearly spills out of her noodle-strap choli at times, evoking wide-eyed expressions from the two male co-stars John Abraham and Tusshar Kapoor. The reactions of the viewers, we’re sure, won’t be different. For the latter part of the song Sunny wears a jhoomar and flaunts her sexy legs. The song is sung by Sunidhi Chauhan, Mika Singh and Anand Raaj Anand. It is choreographed by Ahmed Khan. Sunny Leone’s fans on Twitter had been prodding her to release more footage from the song. The lady has convinced Balaji Motion Pictures to release the full version.

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