Few
men
exemplify
Bollywood
muscle
so
completely
as
producer
and
director
Karan
Johar.
To
his
fans,
he
is
one
of
the
most
trusted
storytellers
in
the
industry,
a
byword
for
excellence
and
a
patriot
who
is
working
for
a
closer
accord
between
the
Indian
Film
Industry
and
its
audiences.
To
his
critics,
he
is
a
propaganda
tool
and
a
peddler
of
the
sort
of
high-class
spectacle
that
prefigured
Bollywood
in
a
different
limelight
to
the
overseas
audiences.
Whichever
camp
you
fall
into,
public
opinion
is
on
Karan's
side.
His
career
revenues
make
him
one
of
the
most
successful
producers
in
the
world
of
Indian
cinema.
He
revolutionised
popular
cinema
by
giving
us
Kuch
Kuch
Hota
Hai,
Kabhie
Khushi
Kabhi
Gham
and
Kabhi
Alvida
Na
Kehna.
In
person,
he
is
watchful
as
a
wolf,
witty
and
very
intelligent.
He
speaks
softly,
with
no
need
to
emphasise
or
ingratiate.
He
is
a
man
who
is
used
to
being
listened
to.
Or
perhaps
he
is
just
content
to
let
his
films
do
the
talking.
This
correspondent
wakes
up
for
an
unusual
chat
with
K-Jo
all
the
way
from
London
where
he
is
busy
promoting
Wake
Up
Sid,
a
big
wake
up
call
for
our
Indian
Film
Industry.
So
sit
back
with
your
favourite
hot
cuppa
cofee
and
take
a
sip.
It's
time
to
wake
up
mate!
After
being
knackered
since
morning
giving
interviews,
is
this
the
right
time
to
say
'Wake
Up
Karan'?
(laughs)
I
need
to
be
woken
up
now.
I
think
a
new
fresh
burst
of
caffeine
will
help
me
this
moment.
I've
spoken
enough
to
last
for
my
lifetime.
Have
you
ever
been
fingered
at
and
labelled
a
lazy,
unmotivated
slacker?
Never
really.
No.
I
was
never
unmotivated
and
I
was
definitely
not
termed
as
a
slacker.
But
I
was
definitely
at
a
career
crossroads.
I
can
identify
with
that
part
to
my
life.
I
was
always
very
motivated
and
very
active
and
alive
at
all
points
of
time.
So
yes,
I
was
half
way
there.
My
dilemma
was
whether
I
should
take
the
business
path
or
the
creative
one.
Film
like
Wake
Up
Sid
marks
the
return
of
new
age
cinema.
Something
fresh,
feel
good
and
of
today's
day
and
age.
Is
it
time
our
Indian
Film
Industry
wakes
up
and
makes
cinema
like
this?
I
hope
so.
I've
done
a
whole
body
of
work
that
can
be
clubbed
in
one.
Yes,
I
too
had
my
wake
up
moment
where
I
had
to
branch
out
and
expand
the
base
of
cossets
that
we
were
coming
out
with
at
Dharma
Productions,
and
I
felt
that
the
desire
to
work
with
new
energies
and
new
people
was
a
new
vision
and
spoke
a
new
language.
Wake
Up
Sid
is
a
conscious
decision
to
break
the
shackles
of
what
we've
done
so
far
and
what
we've
been
doing.
It's
a
step
forward.
How
supportive
can
you
get
as
a
person
and
as
a
producer
for
a
debutant
like
Ayan
Mukerji?
I'd
like
to
say
that
I've
been
a
big
support
to
Ayan.
I
stayed
out
of
his
way
and
that's
a
big
support
in
itself.
The
worst
thing
I
could've
done
is
come
in
his
way.
It
was
his
own
vision
and
when
he
wrote
the
screenplay,
I
liked
it.
I
told
him
that
he
understood
what
he
had
penned
down
more
than
I
did.
I
didn't
want
to
get
in
his
way
in
terms
of
the
content
and
the
way
he
wanted
to
film
it.
I
told
Ayan,
'Confusions
never
ever
result
in
a
good
body
of
work.'
Even
the
soundtrack
of
the
film
is
too
different
from
what
we've
been
hearing
off
late.
Is
every
department,
right
from
editing
to
sound
to
direction,
an
invention
in
itself?
Yes.
Wake
Up
Sid
is
new
because
it's
new
for
us
too.
Ayan
is
a
new
thought
and
a
new
visionary.
He
is
only
twenty
five
years
old.
He
has
a
new
language
and
that's
the
reason
that
every
department
is
following
his
vision.
Wake
Up
Sid
is
a
big
wake
up
call
for
our
film
industry.
I
hope
that
it
eventually
resonates
for
him
to
continue
doing
an
interesting
body
of
work
ahead.
Do
you
sit
on
every
bit
of
detailing
in
a
film's
journey
or
is
your
job
only
restricted
to
monetary
gains?
I
am
a
creative
producer
and
that
goes
without
saying
it.
I
definitely
sit
with
my
directors
on
the
screenplay,
how
it's
been
structured,
their
vision,
the
production
design,
etc.
My
input
as
a
producer
is
just
not
monetary,
it's
way
and
above
that.
But
it's
not
a
hundred
percent
presence
on
a
daily
basis
on
the
sets
and
all
because
that
would
hinder
the
director's
progress.
To
exaggerate,
your
films
are
a
super
duper
success
in
the
UK
and
the
US.
Will
Wake
Up
Sid
be
yet
another
undisputed
success?
And
will
the
overseas
Indians
identify
with
it
in
terms
of
characters?
If
you
are
an
Indian,
you
will
definitely
identify
with
the
characters
in
Wake
Up
Sid.
Indians
anywhere
on
the
globe
haven't
changed.
Geography
is
geography
at
the
end
of
the
day.
You
may
be
sitting
in
London
or
Mumbai,
but
your
parenting
process
doesn't
undergo
a
change.
The
connectivity
is
certainly
not
the
problem.
As
far
as
box
office
is
concerned,
Wake
Up
Sid
is
unusual
and
different
from
what
we've
ever
done.
Films
of
such
nature
have
been
path
breaking
and
have
broken
records
of
sorts
out
of
India.
I
hope
the
film
kind
of
changes
that
a
little
bit
where
people
come
in
to
watch
it
only
because
they
feel
they
can
connect
with
the
plot
of
Wake
Up
Sid.
All
this
is
on
our
wish
list
right
now
and
we
don't
know
how
it'll
play
out.
What
talks
did
Ronnie
Screwvala
have
over
a
hot
coffee
with
Karan?
(Laughs)
Well,
Ronnie
and
I've
known
each
other
for
years.
We
always
wanted
to
collaborate
and
finally
there
came
an
opportunity
where
Yash
Raj
Films
wanted
to
distribute
their
production
films
only.
Yash
Raj
is
my
family
and
a
part
of
my
DNA
on
a
daily
basis.
They
are
really
the
reason
why
I
am
in
this
great
business
and
I
will
always
have
that
personal
connect.
Yash
Raj
Films
have
stopped
taking
outside
films
for
distribution
and
thus
UTV
came
on
board.
Ronnie
and
I
have
a
similar
kind
of
understanding
and
sensibilities
in
the
way
we
think.
Wake
Up
Sid
is
a
very
UTV
profile
film.
You've
worked
with
Shahrukh
Khan.
Now,
another
breed
of
actors
have
taken
over.
Ranbir
Kapoor,
Imran
Khan,
etc.
What
changes
have
you
seen
in
the
two
diverse
generations?
Ranbir
was
the
only
choice
for
Wake
Up
Sid.
Ranbir
Kapoor
is
really
the
future
in
terms
of
the
acting
potential.
He
is
going
to
go
ahead
and
achieve
heights
like
anything.
His
body
language
and
approach
is
so
new
and
yet
so
natural.
He
has
this
untapped
emotion
that
is
waiting
to
exhale.
That's
what
Sid
is
about.
It's
been
wonderful
working
with
a
new
generation
of
actor
like
him.
Ranbir's
level
of
professionalism
and
discipline
comes
from
his
upbringing
of
having
parents
coming
from
the
industry
too.
Shahrukh
Khan
and
Ranbir
Kapoor
have
many
things
in
common
because
good
actors
always
have
something
in
common.
They
bring
in
them
a
certain
amount
of
punctuality,
confidence
and
sincerity.
Other
than
that,
they
both
are
different
people
and
have
different
approaches.
I
look
forward
to
directing
Ranbir
in
my
film
one
day.
Wake
Up
Sid
isn't
a
film
that
goes
preachy,
is
it?
I
mean,
it
ain't
one
of
those
films
that
puts
you
in
the
hot
seat
and
tells
you
to
do
the
right
things
in
life.
Not
at
all.
Wake
Up
Sid
has
nothing
that
makes
it
preachy.
It's
a
very
simple
and
an
honest
film.
It's
about
a
man
who
is
at
a
career
crossroad
and
how
he
overcomes
his
dilemma.
It's
endearing,
emotional
and
soulful.
And
what
about
those
hundreds
of
people
who
want
to
have
coffee
with
Karan?
(laughs)
Ah
ha!
Well,
I
am
a
person
who
loves
having
coffee
with
all
the
people
who've
been
watching
me
and
my
films.
So
you're
invited
anywhere
any
time.
Hopefully
I'll
be
back
next
year
on
the
tele
too
(laughs).