Will a Karan Johar ever cast a newcomer?
iView Author: Arati Raval (Mumbai, India)
Email: withheld
Will a Karan Johar ever cast a newcomer?
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I have used the name ‘Karan Johar’ to represent an entire breed of young and not so young directors who have been born into film families, the well-networked families and have easy access to almost the entire talent that the Indian film industry has to offer.
They can pick up the phone and call anyone they wish to, and even almost always, get them to sign their film. Actors, music directors, writers, lyricists.. Whoever. Hence, it’s not just about Karan Johar, the man. It includes everyone in that category of filmmakers.
I am not a Karan Johar basher. I love his / his kind of films. Don’t discredit me yet, because a lot of people here love to hate him / his kind of filmmakers. For whatever reasons. When I see a KKHH or K3G or a DDLJ, I expect entertainment, a story even if it’s half good, gloss, good songs and fun. And I get it. So I have no complaints.
But as a passionate film lover, I ask myself, in their 10 and more years of being in the industry, what new talent have they given us? They take an SRK when he is a star. Not the SRK of 1991. Then they keep taking him because he is on their speed dial. They make crores. They go on fancy holidays. They think something up in between. They sign him again. They make more crores. These are the directors who can get any one for their films. And I mean any one. When Yash Chopra called Manoj Bajpai for Veer Zaara, he did it. He knew it’s a Shah Rukh Khan film and he would not really get much meat. But he was approached. Some one thought of it. In YRF. That’s a big deal. It doesn’t matter that the film was bad but became a hit. Sadly, these instances are few and far in between.
The Karan Johars have the monetary power to change the way our film industry heads. Can you imagine how good it would be to read “Karan Johar signs newcomer Abhishek for his next”? How many new talents, probably more talented than Shah Rukh Khan, will get wings? How many better actors we’ll get to see? I love Shah Rukh, totally and madly, but each time I see him in a Dharma or YRF film, I feel that maybe he just took someone’s job away. I can only imagine how many better actors must be seeing Shiney messing it up in Gangster and sighing, “Aww.. Why couldn’t I even audition for this?”
Don’t get me wrong. I am no frustrated actor. No frustrated writer. I am happily pursuing my own dreams. But when I read “Rohan Sippy signs Abhishek Bachchan for his next”, I go, “Again?!” I refuse to believe that these guys can’t cast other actors. I refuse to believe they don’t have access. I refuse to believe they can’t think of stories that don’t need stars. I refuse to believe they are not intelligent enough to know that someone else might just be better for this one. I refuse to believe that they work hard on their films. Sometimes, these people make brave choices as Producers. Farhan Akhtar will take Abhay Deol and Ranvir Shorey for Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd., Rohan Sippy will take Konkona for The President is Coming but for their own directorial ventures? Sorry, but they rather play safe. You see, the budgets of their own films don’t permit them to take ‘risks’.
It would be unfair to say that only the biggies do this. It is human nature to do so. But it takes efforts to do things differently. We will see a lot of smaller filmmakers (only in terms of their film budgets) stick to the same 4-5 actors all the time. Call it a comfort zone, lack of choices or plain lethargy, but they do it all the time. The reason I question the big filmmakers more is because they are in a position to influence our cinema to a larger extent, only because they have more money.
I love and respect Karan Johar, Aditya Chopra, Rohan Sippy, Farhan Akhtar and many others in this space. I believe in all their talents. Which is why I feel hurt when they let great opportunities go by. I loved OSO and all those films. But all the bloody time?? Kabhi toh kuch naya karo! Make one film with your favorite superstar, but at least try making one with someone who is not an obvious choice!
What keeps them from being brave? What keeps them from getting over their “Juhu ghetto” mentality? What made Farah Khan take Zayed Khan? Couldn’t she have got an actor instead? Many others would have done Main Hoon Na wayyyy better! I don’t think many of them have ever even auditioned actors. I hate reading some insane Goldie Behl say “Abhishek and I have been friends since school. I went to him with the script and he jumped with excitement. I guess I have been lucky to have such friends” The fault lies with both the director/producer and the actor. They play safe and restrict their own universe. And unknowingly, they devoid us of a cinema that could have changed the way Indian films go.
In the meanwhile, I can only smile at the possibility of a well marketed film that releases in NYC and London alongwith Bombay, that will showcase to the world the wonders of a Pankaj Kapur, a Manoj Bajpai, a Ranvir Shorey, a Deepak Dobriyal or a rank, bloody-talented newcomer who will be amongst the best actors of the next decade.. Some as-yet faceless Abhishek or Arif or Sanjana or Ankur in some deep pockets of India. Let’s dig them out, let’s give fresh talent a chance, all you biggies. Let’s start taking our films and audience seriously. Till then, I can only thank those very few filmmakers who actually sit down and talk to new actors. Everyone just needs that one chance. That’s how even Zanjeer happened.
Tags: Abhishek Bachchan, aditya chopra, Jayed Khan, Karan Johar, Rohan Sippy, Shahrukh Khan
Anurag Kashyap
Abhay Deol
Dibakar Banerjee
Hansal Mehta
Khalid Mohamed
Kundan Shah
Anish Kuruvilla
Jaideep Verma
Manish Gupta
Navdeep Singh
Bhavani Iyer
D. Santosh
Onir
Ashvin Kumar
Ramu Ramanathan
Sudhir Mishra
Pankaj Advani
Revathy
Saurabh Shukla
Shilpa Shukla
Sujoy Ghosh
Suparn Verma
Santosh Sivan
Shashank Ghosh
Shivajee
Pavan Kaul
Partho Sen-Gupta
Prroshant Naryannan
Sam Langoria
Satish Kasetty
I never quite get why ‘Veer Zaara’ is slated so much.
It was a very layered film.
I love the prisoner-lawyer relationship.
Infact, i’m not sure if I cared as much about Veer and Zaara as lovers, as much as I did about an innocent man in a jail and a struggling female lawyer who people are just dying to pull down.
Simply because she’s a woman.
There’s so much depth and beauty in the way that near strangers go to such lengths for others in the film.
Humanity.
That’s the message.
That’s what were lacking…
@ Arati
That was an interesting write-up I must say.Personally speaking I feel that as long as these big names atleast produce movies with newcomers/smaller stars its still o.k.The reason behind a Karan Johar a Farhan Akhtar, Rohan Sippy etc going behind big stars with whom they are comfortable with is not only about making money- but also the kind of pressure on them.Its different when Farhan produces a HoneyMoon Travels- but when it comes to Don 2- there you go!!!People like Shankar in the south are very clear – if its his direction- then its a big budget so its a star movie- Indian, Sivaji, now Enthiran etc ( of course he made Boys too).But when he produces- he makes movies like Kadhal,Veyil,Kalloori etc.
So as long as these people are able to make an attempt to do both its ok with me.And BTW Amitabh had his first major hit with Zanzeer- it made his career.But he was not a debutant in it.He had a string of flops ( and a smalll hit- Bombay to Goa ) behind him!!!
Steve,
First time I saw Veer Zaara, I was bored to a great extent. But on repeated viewings that movie has grown on me. I loved the same part that you mentioned about an innocent man, his lawyer and their fight for justice.
I liked the side tidbits of women empowerment about a girl school and also the prejudices that Saamya has to fight.
I like the hope that this movie gives, its little idealistic but I am not complaining.
Arati,
I know that intent of your post is right and noble. I am not quite sure it can be adapted in practice.
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If I am Karan or Vipul or any body else, I don’t think I would want to take a different actor just for the heck of it.
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That’s the reason directors at times stick with same Music directors, Director of Cinematography etc. If I have a good rapport with the other guy I would like to work with him again.
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Yeah, that applies in any industry, I don’t change my design team every time for a new project but would like to work on something new with the same team.
@Steve: I didn’t like Veer Zaara much. I thought it was long by an hour. But my point was on the casting choice. I am glad someone thought of taking Manoj Bapai rather than calling up Saif and asking him to give 10 days of shoot
@Sethumadhavan: Thank you! It just boils my blood to see talented director/producers not try something new
@Vishesh: I agree you dont change the design team for every new project but films, I fear, are not quite the same. In that sense, everyone should work with the same 10 people all their lives. Unless a new, fresh combination is tried, how would we know? I am a writer so I completely understand the logic of comfort zone. But at least I’ll try working with new directors all the time, even if I work with one same guy 5 times. The mix of films is what I am talking about. Do one K3G, but try making a 10 cr film with someone who is not SRK. I am sure there are a million ways to make the economics work. They should know.
The only director who has backed newcomers consistently has been RGV. Of late though his choices suck.
Well i think most of our directors and producers have made the money, so high time they get out of their comfort zone. Vishesh, the key here is not to take a different actor, just for the heck of it, but the fact that some where there is someone.
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When you take guys like Uday Chopra or Zayed Khan, who could never act for nuts, what in effect you are doing, is that you are denying some one somewhere a chance.
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Look at the 50’s and 60’s and even 70’s. We had a fruit seller( Dilip Kumar), a letter censor( Dev Anand), a radio announcer( Sunil Dutt), son of a Punjab farmer( Dharmendra) making it. Bollywood was a place that threw open its doors for every one to come in and they came.
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But if you take most of the debuts right now, most of them follow a standard pattern, 20+ something from a filmi family, educated abroad in some fancy universit, launched with great fanfare. Its like every newcomer who is launched looks the same, walks the same, talks the same, acts the same. Where is the individuality, where is that oddness? Damn, if i want to see robots, i will see Star Wars for the umpteenth time.
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The bitter truth is that Bollywood of late has become Fortress Bollywood, shutting off its doors to non filmi people, and when you do that, you are leaving out a wide section of society. Seem most of our Indian companies before globalization, where family run, Lala-Seth companies, where whatever be your talent, you would always end up doing Ji Huzoori, unless you happened to be connected. What happened to most of those companies after Globalization? Barring few, not many survived.
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This might work in short term, but its going to hurt in long run. Is it not a point to ponder that the biggest stars of Bollywood right now are 40+ heroes, who have been around for 10 years?
Its ironical that Bollywood has become a closed door society, when India is opening up in other areas. Be it cricket or modelling or MNC or IT sector or reality shows, the people who are comming in it, are now mostly from small town India without any background to speak about.
Yes Arati, Manoj Bajpai was indeed a good choice and he delivered (well, doesn’t he always?).
But the length of ‘V.Z’ was probably intentional?
To emphasise on the years gone by?
Maybe?
Yes Vishesh, repeat viewings make u see it in a different, appreciative light.
Arati, not that I like his films much, but Subhash Ghai (a big name in his own right) gave us Meenakshi, Mahima and Anurag Sinha, who IMO was fantastic in ‘Black & White’.
Karan Johar??
I’m no longer sure if it’s just a comfort thing, or if it’s now an obligation??
I’m sure big actors must get quite selfish too and want to showcase more of themselves in ‘different’ roles.
But how do u feel when Vishal Bharadwaj makes a rural film (Omkara) with big stars?
Isn’t that the same kinda thing here?
Or do we accept that because he gives us 5 other films with Irfan, Pankuj and Shabana?
In short, do familiar faces in a different light not equate to ‘fresh talent’??
@Ratnakar: Thank you ! That was precisely my point. Where are this generations outsiders?? I dont want to spend the larger part of my life looking at 25 Ranbir Kapoors!!
@Steve: I am not sure if VZ’s length was intentional. Many years went by in many films. VZ was simply a drag for me. I accept Subhash Ghai’s contribution towards newcomers. Which is why I didnt mention him. Not that I am a fan either ;)
If Karan gave us the lover Rahul, he also gave us the most irritating, annoying, detestable character SRK has ever played as Dev Saran in ‘Alvida’.
I don’t see it as a problem to repeat the cast, but yes, just as Shankar down south produces little gems, I wish Karan would too, as his productions have been unbearable.
Besides ‘Kal ho na ho’.
@Steve: Yes, I would like to consider similar faces in fresh light as fresh talent. But my main point remains the influx of fresher blood, new faces, more variety, versatality.. The kind Ratnakar mentioned. Faces that have character.. Actors and not stars. We are beginning to have clones. And I ask these biggies becoz they are the ones who can afford taking economic risks more than the others. I totally respect Vishal Bharadwaj and I cant thank him enough for Maqbool, Omkara, The Blue Umbrella etc. But we need more of his breed!!
To begin with, Zanzeer didnt happen coz Prakash mehra decided to cast a ‘newcomer / relatively unknown face’. It happened, as the legend would have it, coz many established actors who were offered the role (Shatrughan, Raajkumar, Dev Anand) balked at the idea of playing an unconventional hero at the height of their career, lest their fan-following diminishes. So, its not only the production houses who try to play safe, its also the stars who, once established, dont want to charter into unknown territories.
In fact, these days, most of the established starts have started their own production houses with the knowledge and belief of earning the mega bucks for themselves, rather than to earn it for others. thats why u have SRK with not one or two, but three production companies, u hv a virtual non-entity (at least now) like Sunil Shetty having his on production.
Point is, the materialisation of the world has made us less ‘risk-taking’. And these houses have always played safe since time immemorial, which is not even going to change in the times to come.
Akki?!
That’s the point na?
These guys have that power.
Those collections come as no surprise.
I have to admit though, earlier when i’d rave about Konkona, no one over here knew who she was.
Oh, but she’s in 2 big Yash Raj Films?
And ‘then’ people notice her!
The exact same thing is now happening with Vinay Pathak as Bobby Khosla.
U’d think they never existed before these films!
Ratnakar babu?
Fortress Bollywood sounds both amusing and concerning.
But atleast the so called smaller films are registering an impact too.
Who knows, maybe 5years down the line it may just be a case of roles reversal?
Actually guys, I think we’re already in that process now.
I think we are confusing nepotism and established actors.
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I agree that Zayed, Uday, Fardeen et al came into movies just because their families have been doing films.
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But if I have SRK or Akshay or Big B available to me and ready to work with me and they suit the role, why wouldn’t I work with them. There have been so many instances that a creative partnership over the years led to some interesting stuff.
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Movies is also an industry and film making is a project or like a start-up where its the team and your product that plays a major role in determining the success.
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Team selection may not be only merit based but depends on personal rapport. It works.
@Satyendra: Yes I know Amitabh Bachchan was choice number 100 for Zanjeer. But he got that film. Even if it was out of frustration. But now we are more learned, or at least we are supposed to be. These guys should know how things can change drastically if they decide to be the torchbearers.. They would also earn some respect apart from all those mega bucks!
@Steve: Thanks for underlining my point!
The so-called cliques in Bollywood are on their way out….apart from SRK, look how much the usual YRF line-up has changed….people in the industry know that they cannot afford to cling on…audiences want to see fresh talent..
And I so loved Veer-Zaara
Yup, I agree that most of the young actors are like Factory production (nothing to do with RGV).
Dance, Fight, action, comedy, 6 packs, zero size etc, there is no differentiation.
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The way it will change when we start demanding that an actor has to fit the role as per the demands of story. The casting director will start mattering.
Its always that market that drives everything. Even art.
@ Vishesh: I know. Agreed. Point taken. But does that mean that you ALWAYS get stuck there! You have explored one kind of creative partnership. You have access. You have resources. You have the brains. Why not give us and yourself something new?! Look at how Vishal Bharadwaj beautifully mixed Deepak with Saif, Ajay, Kareena, Konkona and gang in Omkara. How he took Shweta in Makdee. How, after the success of Hyderabad Blues, Nagesh chose to work with a newcomer in the lead role and wonderfully added Naseer as a support? He repeated Shreyas in Bombay to Bangkok and we all know what happened there!How he then chose Akshay for one film and John for another.. The point is, choose an actor that suits the character.. Not write for someone you have already decided to take. There is a lot of difference. Why cant they mix 2 40cr films with one 10 cr experiment? It is no dent to them! Make all your K films.. I also watch and love them. But add something new to your bouquet..
Actually SRK has been working with first time directors though they may have done the same genre of movies. Adi Chopra, Karan Johar, Nikhil Advani, Farah Khan even Aziz Mirza hehe. Its hard to believe that :-)
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And about RGV, at some point of time most of the movies from his production had the same set of actors especially the character actors.
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Its good to promote fresh talent and nobody can stop a good actor. He will find his place, sooner or later.
Of course, Karan Johar will definitely launch a new comer.
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Aryan Khan :-)
Arati,I agree with you on that point completely.
But again, its a prerogative of the director.
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I mean, should I change the genre of my movie or should I change my actors or should I make new settings of my movie or should I change the style of shooting or should I change everything. It all depends how much I want to come out of my comfort zone at a given point of time.
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Some directors are ready to experiment like hell. Some take their own time.
On Karan, I heard he is taking Shabana Azmi and Madhavan in My Name is Khan. Now that’s something interesting. So he is taking baby steps from KANK to here. Who knows next time, he may end up taking Chitrangda (if she agrees, of course) and Deepak Dobriyal along with SRK (he stays :-) )
How I hope Vishesh! I’ll be sooo happy that day and so will millions of others! I am hopeful that day will come. I loved his change of gear in KANK. I am hopeful..
Amit? Aryan Khan?!
ROTFL!
The name of the game is to play safe. Big budgets and big stars bring in the big bucks. It doesn’t matter if the film is a hit. The cycle continues. KJO and his contemporaries should consider making small budget films with new actors. But then, the final choice is theirs. All we can do is to indulge in wishful thinking.
BTW, welcome to PFC Arati.
“Why cant they mix 2 40cr films with one 10 cr experiment? ”
This is something i always wondered. In the West, you have George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Robert Redford, Clint Eastwood, who have been doing a great job of balancing mainstream with indie movies.
For every Oceans Eleven or Peacemaker, Clooney comes up with a Good Night, Good Luck.
Brad Pitt does the hard core masala flicks like Mr.& Mrs.Smith, and at the same time does more indie stuff like Fight Club or a River Runs through It.
And the same with Depp, who does a Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas for every POTC or Burton movie he works in.
Even down South, you have Kamal doing 100% masala stuff like Vasool Raja or Panchathantiram, with a more serious Virumandi or Anbe Sivam.
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Yeah i know the final choice is theirs. But it sucks when people who have the luxury of making a choice, who have the opportunity to make a difference don’t do it.
I think KJO is getting it — check out his blog – www.mynameiskaran.com – where he talks about how the industry is changing and how he needs to think beyond stars.
But stars are stars. As long as there are movies in the traditional sense – and that may not be much longer – there will be stars. it is a part of the pleasure of movie-going. i love off-beat with new faces and all, but i also need my stars. stars are complex and condensed nodes of fantasy and projection but they also sum up social contradictions and changes. SRK projected the globalization Hindi cinema and the liberalization of India. he managed the anxieties that people experience during times of such rapid change that we have lived through. his over-acting and mannerisms which so many people love to hate made him special. how? all that quivering and crying represented at a subliminal level the tremendous emotional upheaval that accompanies such radical changes. otherwise these films would have been empty consumerist fantasies! but SRK excessive and melodramatic emotions communicated the “pain” of these changing times even as the happy endings promised a better future.
stars are so interesting – they cannot be confused with their real life personas but these personas are important. amitabh – son of a famous poet, belonging to a elite family , and yet during the dark days of the 1970s he was able to project the angry underdog. how?
likewise SRK’s rise – an underdog in real life – sums up even at a superficial level the social transformation ongoing in india now.
think of chocolate boy aamir of QSQT became this respected hero by combining his activism and his love of progressive causes with serious film roles.
as for RGV — in his own way he made Urmila a star. not a widespread star – her roles are too quirky for that — but only she could play those disturbing women of the kind now reprised by Kangana Ranuat.
so, we need stars. not only because they make money and are bankable, but because we need them to project our fears and anxieties as well as our hopes and aspirations.
Since you have mentioned Karan Johar,he is a person who confessed a thousand times that Shahrukh-Kajol had a huge role to play in him turning a director.Dharma Productions in recent times is producing a lot a films.When he decides to direct a film definitely he chooses a subject very close to his heart,otherwise he can produce it.And whenever he does that he needs a person whom he trusts a lot to pull it off.Here I must say that even though Dil Chahta Hai resurrected Saif’s career,it was Kal Ho Na Ho which really gave a push to his market value.Recently Dharma Productions has been trying different genres with Kaal and now Dostana.And finally,we all know how Karan is obsessed with “stars”.
To my feeling, star system harms the cinema when stars are taken in repetitive roles all the time. This stops their growth as actors and it hinders the growth of cinema also because much of the money available in the film industry is available to the films having big stars.
It really does not matter if a director always makes a film with a particular star/actor as long as he has interesting subjects and characters to present that star/actor. All good directors have been working with few faces only in the lead roles but they give different characters to their favourite actors and dont repeat them.
If a story can be shown by a known face then it has added attraction on BO in the initial days or film should be so strong that in following weeks people rush to the cinema halls after knowing the merits of the film.
Do we feel objection when see Ashok Kumar, Dilip Kumar in so many BR Chopra or Yash Chopra Films?
Or Sanjeev Kumar in Gulzar’s films? or Rajesh Khanna or Amitabh Bachchan or Dharmendra in so many Hrishikesh Mukharjee’s films? No because these directors have given different and interesting characters to these actors.
Even Prakash Mehra presented Amitabh Bachchan in different roles in his films (Till Sharabi) and once he started repeating Amitabh in similar role not only his films flopped but this repetition harmed badly Amitabh’s career also. Even in between Lawaris was not as successful as Namak Halal was, because Lawaris was a stale subject while Amitabh In Namak Halal was refreshingly good in a completely comical role.
As long as Karan Johar or Aditya Chopra or Suraj Barjatya or any director in this club of rich and powerful directors/producers, are willing to present their chsoen stars in different roles, everything is fine.
This is their prerogative to select any star to present their stories. End results will always be analysed later.
Repetition in films like medium will never get respect.
The article has a good question…but, with so many…I mean many many struggling actors around…lets first finish the Phase1 of providing these stars work then lets go to Phase2 of providing the new comers work…
KJo has done a good job by roping in Vivek Oberoi for one of his production ventures…Yes, he does not try to rope in strugglers like Twinkle Khanna…who went on to reject Rani’s role in KKHH…and he did not appreciate talents like ‘Sandesh Shandilya’ and ‘Aadesh Shrivastav’ to provide Music in thier struggling days…and the list goes on and on….and please dont restrict the ‘new comers’ as only to actors….the Film Industry is more than them!!
I think we have to be wary also of where to draw the line: between directors picking actors purely on the basis of their rapport with the actor in question; or simply because he/she is a smart commercial choice……
Surely none of us will grudge Johnny Depp the next Tim Burton flick…. look at what gems this association has produced… Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, Sweeney Todd…..and many more..
) or Scorsese casting Leonardo DiCaprio…. when do we say that a particular director has a genuine “meeting of the minds” with a particular actor; and when do we say he’s only in it for the big bucks at the BO???
Nobody should have a problem with the Coens casting Frances McDormand(but then again, she’s family
“I can only imagine how many better actors must be seeing Shiney messing it up in Gangster and sighing, “Aww.. Why couldn’t I even audition for this?”
Shiney messes everything up!
I’m amazed at how he was quite tolerable in ‘Khoya Khoya Chand’ and pretty good in ‘Hazaaron Khwaishein’, although i’ve yet to finish the film.
Not trying to be mean, but I can’t understand how he’s become such a big star?!
He has no control over his voice modulation!
And he sounds robotic when delivering intense dialogues.
Hasn’t someone told him this yet??!
Oh. Sudhir Mishra.
That’s what those two films have in common.
Maybe only Sudhir can extract decent performances from Shiney??
Sorry to disagree Steve and I might be even blaspheming against Sudhir Mishra but Shiney was eminently unwatchable in both those films! I mean he was worse than he was in Gangster. According to me.
And for all our noble intentions and yearning for art and valued talent let us not forget that film-making is a business and the guys who finance the Karan Johar’s of the world are looking for only profits. Well you can say the Karan Johars of the world are also looking for mere profits but then each to his own isn’t that fair enough? After all business and artistic responsibility/sensibility don’t really go together. Both are indirectly proportionate.
All said, I’d still say it IS possible to do both,make a K3G and then a Dasvidaniya or something. But then the star-off-springs are in a pressure of their own to EVER think of taking a risk like that. The pressure of proving themselves as capable or more than their parent/sibling is too crippling for them to even contemplate doing it differently.
But its still not as hunky dory as it seems. Take Zoya Akhtar for an example. She has been trying to start a movie since years. I have applied to her for AD-ing and she has repeatedly got back saying she isnt starting anything soon, and thats not because she didn’t want me, just coz she really wasn’t starting anythign soon coz her financers had backed out yet again. I’m not too savvy about how Luck by chance has come about but then it stars Farhan and Konkana not too hep, even if Farhan is a ’star’ now.
Secondly, every new and also many an experienced director is repeatedly asked for an actor’s approval for a film by the producer before he decides to finance it. What would any director who wanted finance and had best buddy SRK on his ’speed dail’ do in this case when hiring SRK would mean a BO winner and a new talent a risk no one would like to take? So it’s really not a lack of commitment that makes the star-kid go for bankable stars in their kitty. They have insecurities of their own.
Which definitely does not mean that what they do is right. Yes, its a matter of perspective, neither can be easily termed right or wrong. Yes, a wee bit more brave, you may say…
@Ratnakar – Brad Pitt did Fight Club and ‘River Runs through It’ before he became a big star. Actually those two films started the process that made him the star he is today. However, that does not take away his participation in and promotion of small films. You should have used ‘Babel’ as an example.
Fatema! Dear oh dear!
U feel very strongly about/against Shiney, lol!
I used to think that I was his worst critic, but u win, hands down :-)
Re Ranbir Kapoor, I was baffled that he was claimed to be a ’star’ even before the release of ‘Saawariya’?!
I mean, how the hell does that work?
Yeah sure ‘Bachna Ae Hasino’ was watchable, but that was mainly for Bipasha Basu.
Ranbir is ok I guess, but at times I feel that the media are more powerful (manipulative?) than the films in question.
Pretty interesting discussion. One thing that I’m surprised hasn’t been discussed more is the complete mis-use (and I don’t mean mis-casting) of some fantastic acting talent in insignificant and underdeveloped characters. I could name a few examples, but the worst had to be “Aaja Nachle” where Ranvir Shorey, Vinay Pathak and worst of all Irrfan Khan were completely wasted! So, when YRF does decide to work with these guys, they don’t have a clue what to do with them!
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And don’t even get me started on Ranvir Shorey in Sinngh Is Kinnnngh!
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I think it all comes down to sense and sensibilities. Certain directors (and, to broadstroke, certain production houses) aren’t yet making the kinds of films which would work without the added attraction of an “A-List” starcast. Case in point, Rakesh Roshan producing “Kkrazzy 4″. On paper he had a pretty intriguing ensemble cast. On screen… I mean, what the heck was all that?
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And dare I say it, THIS is the reason why Subhash Ghai stands out. And not just for casting newcomer Anurag Sinha in Black & White, but for, years earlier, producing some gems as “Joggers Park” and “Iqbal”. Surprisingly despite the success of both films, especially Iqbal, we haven’t really seen a lot of other similar big-name banners follow a similar model. Well, I guess Farhan Akhtar has with Honeymoon Travels… and of course, the Mighty UTV…
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When Aditya Chopra or Karan Johar or Rohan Sippy (the three targetted 2nd generation Producer/Directors… I mean, who else is really on this list?) start to truly produce their “Iqbals” THEN we’ll see the industry start to change. Until then, all we can expect is more “Aaja Nachle’s” and “Kaals”…
Tony, this is so weird!
I’ve just been talking to a friend who avoids alternative cinema like the plague but loves big budget commercial stuff.
He’s mentioned how much he loved Vinay in both ‘Aaja Nachle’ and ‘Rab ne’ and is considering watching ‘Dasvidaniya’!
So, whilst ur absolutely right with the points u just made, there are also positives in this scenario.
Same thing happened with Konkona.
It is NOW that my friends will watch ‘Mr & Mrs Iyer’, ‘Yun Hota…’ etc, after ‘A.Nachle’ and ‘Laaga Chunari’!
@ Tejas-38
Hey Fight Club came in 1999, when Pitt was already an established star. But even then most of Pitt’s mainstream movies like Legends of The Fall, The Devil’s Own, Meet Joe Black saw him in those intense serious roles.
Tom Cruise also used to do the balancing act rarher well, balancing the masala stuff like Top Gun, Days of Thunder, Cocktail with more serious ones like Born On 4th Of July, Magnolia, Eyes Wide Shut, Vanilla Sky. It’s another matter of late, he has become a total retard.
Steve, yeah I guess the flipside you’ve pointed out was bound to happen.
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For fear of this happening, I actually started preparing my friends years ago. You have no idea how many copies of Khosla Ka Ghosla’s DVD I’ve purchased and then lent out to friends (happily knowing I’m not getting any of those copies back). Did the same with Mithya as well (and Socha Na Tha earlier). But its paid off. Now those same friends saw both Dasvidaniya and Oye Lucky Lucky Oye before I got the chance… hopefully you’re friends are coming up on that stage soon
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Off the record I’m willing to admit I really like Vinay in RNBDJ as well… then again, I really like SRK in the film as well, at least in the “Suri” avatar…
I liked Vinay and Ranvir, right from Jism, where they played John Abraham’s friends. Vinay was great in Manorama, Johnny Gaddar too.
I initially did not like Ranvir much, but he totally bowled me over in KKG, as the goofball.
I miss one of my old favorites Atul Kulkarni, he is busy with Marathi cinema nowadays i hear. He was brilliant in Hey Ram, as the Hindu fundamentalist leader. And he great in most of MB’s movies, Chandni Bar, Satta, Page 3. Especially in Satta as a manipulative politican, he was fabulous.
@Arun Prakash: Thank you!
@Rk: I had absolutely no problem in seeing Sanjeev Kumar in Gulzar’s films or Amitabh in PRakash Mehra’s films. But in 2008, we are turning a new leaf. The language is changing.. The cinema is changing. The treatments are changing. And there are some peope in the industry who are economically more powerful than others and these are the guys who can change things for the better. Of course, it’s their choice whom they take. But I only wish to underline to them, that they can do much better! My faith in their talent makes me feel disappointed. I would never question a Goldie Behl. He has nothing to contribute anyway. But Karan Johar, Rohan Sippy, Aditya Chopra and the like..? I will question because I believe in their talent.
@Rahul: I didnt mean to restrict ‘newcomers’ to only actors. But I wish to begin by questioning this one aspect. There is enough I wanted to say on actors enough. Maybe in my next blog I’ll write on that! ;)
@Aditya: I have no problem at all if an actor is a commercial choice. That makes sense. But choosing an actor because he is a neighbour/school friend/dear friend.. is what I am questioning.
@Steve: I agree! I wonder what makes anyone sign Shiney. He is terrrbile, to be generous to him
@Fatema: Point taken. I agree to each his own. I only wish they could be braver, like you also agreed. It could create a cinema that we dont even know of yet.
@Tony: I totally agree. That’s why I didnt bring Subhash Ghai the Producer up. On what has become of him as a Director, is another blog altogether!
@Steve: It’s a pleasant backward trend. Well, as long as Mr. & Mrs. Iyer and Mithya still get bought on DVD, that works for us! It’s a good beginning!
@Ratnakar: Yup.. Many people have managed balancing the act. But I talk from the Producer’s perspective. Shah Rukh has managed doing a Chak De and Swades with an OSO and RNBDJ. Aamir has done a TZP and Mangal Pandey with a Fanaa. And box office failures of 1-2 films will not affect SRK or Aamir personally. They will always keep getting films. The Producers whose risk taking threshold is higher can be the torchbearers of change. That’s all that I wish an begin happening..
@ Arati
SRK has also produced Ashoka,Paheli & Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani- all quite different from the other stuff made by him.
Hmm im not sure of Mangal Pandey’s artistic merits. It was a total disappointment, parts fo the movie seemed like a sleaze flick for me.
BTW i felt Rohan Sippy’s Bluffmaster was a brave attempt. It was certainly not the standard Priyan or David Dhawan or Hey Baby kinda comedy. It was more witty, and urbane. Yeah the movie is a copy of Matchstick Men, but all said and done it was well adapted. Abhishek, Riteish and Nana were fabulous.
“Surely none of us will grudge Johnny Depp the next Tim Burton flick…. look at what gems this association has produced… Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, Sweeney Todd”
Adi i think ur totally missing a point here. The fact is Burton does not cast Depp on the same role every time. And the most important thing is Burton backed Depp, when he was not a big star, to do Edward Scissorhands.
Marty did Taxi Driver with De Niro when he was not a major star, and Copolla put down his foot, when Paramount wanted Al Pacino to be replaced in The Godfather.
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The fact is that Marty, Spielberg, Copolla, Burton all backed the actors when they were not big stars, that is the point. And then later they had a succesful collaboration with them. They took the risks, because they believed in the potential of the actors they were casting. And trust me most of them had to fight bitter battles for it.
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Why go so far?? Subash Ghai, took Shatru as a hero for Kallicharan, when he was playing villian roles. And from then onwards Shatru became one of the top heroes.
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I think thats what Arati is mentioning here. Stars became stars because some one way back went ahead, and took a risk, and saw the potential in them.
As of now i dont see any one taking that risk. Its become a safety first attitude, and trust me, that never works in long run.
Arati, I guess you dint get me or you intend to digress a bit…
What I am saying is Kjo did offer Twinkle the offer who rejected it…doesnt it mean that is not that naive as you think and also the music directors ’sandesh shandilya’ and ‘aadesh shrivastav’ were roped into his projects, apparently these were NO big names then…I can compile a WHOLE LIST of technicians ‘NEW comers’ who were given chance by Kjo….pls reply to this point…
@ Ratnakar
Even I personally did not like Managal Pandey @ all.In fact I’ll certainly not put it in any great or “different” films category.It was a period movie thats it.And Aamir’s moustache & hair style had hyped up the movie like crazy.But yes Bluffmaster was good fun- I liked the climax in particular-I think for the average Indian movie goer- it was a bit difficult to comprehend I guess.The same was the case with Chocalate- again an inspired movie, but atleast quite different.
@Sethu, I dont question SRK as a Producer. I have loved Asoka and I admire he tried a Paheli with Amol Palekar. I even liked OSO. I am looking forward to Billoo Barber.
@Ratnakar: Thank you. That is precisely the point I am trying to make. I did not like Mangal Pandey too, but the point is that Aamir knew he is not doing a ‘Friday housefull’ film but he did it for himself, as an actor. I meant to underline that actors still manage the balancing act but many Producers fail to do so.
@Rahul: No I didnt get you wrong and no, I do not wish to digress. I know of all the new writers/musicians etc that KJo has given some chances to. But my this particular post talks of bravery and experiments with actors. I know that its tough to stop at actors while discussing but had I wrtten on technicians too, it would have been too long a post to read. So I have used the term ‘newcomer’ only for actors in this post. I guess I should have mentioned it
Aarthi,
If you are talking about bravery and experimentation…then don’t you think SRK’s role in KANK was as brave as a role as the experimentation of the subject…dint Kjo digress from his KKHH or K3G style and do a experiment and isn’t he doing a experiment by directing ‘My Name is Khan’ with SRK which is again a very different subject, isnt that experiment of an actor under Kjo?
And, if you say experiment with a ‘new’ actor by Kjo..dont you think that the posts lack the content and conviction to prove that…and if you get in-depth of your post its a sure ‘digress’…and no offence please….thats my view point!!
And you are absolutely right by saying…’you guessed you should have mentioned it as-it-is’
Yeah Rahul.. I guess I’ve met a bigger fan of KJo than myself. I love the guy and his films but I just want him to do more stuff, braver stuff. Maybe I am a demanding fan, maybe you are not. To each his own. You think he is doing great work, for me, I see a lot of untapped potential. Like I also said, it’s not just about KJo. Its about many others who can do better things. THAT, I have mentioned, right at the beginning. I dont think it lacks content. Maybe you can write on KJo’s contribution towards introducing newcomers?? I say newcomer actors, because that’s what I wanted to discuss. I accept he did well by casting SRK in KANK. Maybe you can talk on all the good things he did, I wanted to talk on the things he can do. And I know he will do great stuff for Indian films.. I really mean it. I believe in him. I just wish that somewhere, he reads it and probably gets to read things that many others might not be telling him.
The best thing about him is he knows what he can do…and its no so easy to cast SRK in each film of yours and pull it off just-like-that!!
And I make a sincere and honest confession that Im NOT a KJo fan….I think KKHH and K3G are films which digress from reality and are not in my liking…I like more of RGV or Vishal Bharadwaj stuff…I like those kind of movies…
U are a greater and good fan of KJo and I feel your pain in letting all the people know ‘what you expect from KJo’…and no offence again…you have digressed and you have written a wonderful post…I mean it…
Aur sahi kahoon Aarthi with few more articles like these you will surely get into the elite panel of PFC Authors and you know whos mine…Mr.Ratnakar….
I have voiced my point and you have voiced yours…we are always going to have our points and hence I wish to end here…anything else or more would be ‘uncalled for’…
I mean…my fav. author in PFC is Mr.Ratnakar…
Rahul Dada, Balo shukriya, u have made my Day now. Did not know i had a fan club here
Anna Ratnakar…vaadu ‘Rahul’ is a hyderabad guy….
Its not ‘fan club’ Ratnakar just for some reason …its the way you write and to the point…and you have no egos about your immense filmi knowlegde from South to North vice-versa…and your passion towards films…damn caring about what others feel or say…PFC is a synonym for guys like you…and Im not talking of the website here…
add me to ‘your’ club…
as far as goldie behl goes, only his childhood friend will star in his movies. and i guess abhishek owes goldie for making a movie with him when he was in the dumps. its a ‘lets feed off each other’ mentality
subhash ghai has never worked with stars except dilip kumar,raj kumar in saudagar & DK in karma…he made stars out of jackie(hero)shatru(kalicharan)madhuri(ram lakhan)manisha(saudagar)anil kapoor(meri jung) akshaye khanna(taal) & lot of others. c wat hapned to him wen he casts a salman(yuvraaj):-) a director who will hav conviction n vision, will cast actors who suit the chracters…n if thy have a star,why not!!! k jo n th likes wil only cast star-actors…wil sudhir mishra,anurag kashyap or ketan mehta say a no to srk,aamir,salman,big B??? but yes stars can say no to them :-)ketan did 2 films wit srk wen he was not a star “star”…but wen he worked wit aamir in MP, u al kno wat happened…so its a rare combo…its aalloo & organic aalloo!!!
@ All
I am glad that soooo much is being discussed in this forum about such a subject. It feels great to see that some thought at least is being given to such an important topic, of late.
The point i think that Arati raises is of ethics & integrity to the craft i. e Film-making. As most of us agree that its not fair to give non-actors from filmy backgrounds opportunities & deprive talented newcomers of the same. Similarly, it wouldn’t be fair either to not cast an actor-star (Like Amitabh, SRK,Aamir,Akshay,Hrithik) when he is needed.
Now comes the crux of the matter – How do you decide your casting in the film???? Does your story, the characters written & other creative aspects drive this decision or simply your access to the biggies & commercial aspects???
Ideally, it should be a combination of both. When making a film , we can never deny the commercial viability of the product. Also, every creative person will love it if his/her work reaches out to the maximum audience. But can’t we be honest to the characters written & to the craft. Can’t we not take Fardeens & Zayeds & Harmans & look for a better new actor instead??? Their ‘commercial’ viability is almost zero anyway.
The thing that is in question here is the integrity & commitment of the film makers for their craft.
I love it when someone uses SRK as an actor like Ashutosh did in SWADES or Shaad did in SAATHIYA. The latter is a fine example of using a star as an actor & susrprise the audience at the same time. They (YRF, ironically : ) )never tried to sell their film showing SRK in the posters & promos of the film. IAS Yashwant (His name in the film) was simply a character for the director & audience fantastically approved of it.
How many film makers do we have who believe in the character they have in their scripts & try & give them faces later on. Most of the times, we work backwards. It was such a shame when i read that Salman had asked Nikhil to write something & make it for him. Absolutely ridiculous & shameful!!! How can you decide & make something only because you have a star backing the project. Great imaginations that create great crafts come from within(Don’t know how many of us aspire for that, though).As a result What we got as viewers was Salaam-E-Ishq. Phew!!!
Examples are many……We don’t like it when Farah Khaan takes a Zayed, because we know better choices are available. But we like her when she takes a Shreyas because we know he is talented & even if better actors are available, he will at least prove that he was not a misfit.
An ACTOR’s satisfaction is in the performance. He needs that one chance to prove himself & these big film makers can really filter the talent with their resources. Why can’t they have audition camps in the interior parts of the country??? Its only about the will power that we show. We need to change in our approach.
P.S -
I am sure, there must be sooo many upcoming writers / directors writing in this forum. It’ll be great if you even try & think about this whenever you decide casting for your first film. Hope we have a few trend-setters coming out of this forum & making it big in the near future. And lets also hope that we be true towards our craft & always make unbiased decisions. Hope someone begins taking auditions for some roles at least!
Established Directors (Most of them)- Please try to look for substance in the story rather than hiding behind the stars because WELCOMEs are few & YUVVRAAJs are many!!!!
Interesting observation(s), Arati.
The sound of the dollar and/or pound is heard the loudest, and how do you generate that noise? Big budgets, and even bigger names.
I’ll be lucky to get A Wednesday, Dasvidaniya, or Aamir at a theater even here in NYC– it’ll run for a week at best–and feel even luckier to be able to rent an original DVD of these films. Chalo, I saved 14 bucks.
But am I as interested in watching a Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, which is playing at every theater worth its NRI salt? Not really. The question is, can a film with a big banner, big names, and big budget leave a real impact on this dil?
If I want authentic Adi Chopra, DDLJ is on my shelf.
If I want true SRK, I can watch Maya Memsaab or anyone of his films that made me say, “Hey, this new guy is good!”
If I want to see a genuine story about a simple guy in a simple town, living an interesting life, Main Meri Patni Aur Woh is more than satisfying.
And if I want a taste of asli maki di roti, I’ll watch Shaheed-e-Mohabbat for crying out loud.
So I’ll rent RNBJ instead of heading to the theater because I know I can easily find a YRF film to rent (even on Netflix). Chalo, I saved 14 bucks.