Karan Johar has no time to party

Karan Johar is living out of a suitcase. Last week, he was in London, this week he's in Cannes and then it's back to London before jetting off to San Francisco next week. The director-producer zipped in for a two-day visit to the Cannes festival as well as to walk the red carpet for the alcohol brand he endorses. He also met international distributors for his film, My Name Is Khan and for his other productions.

A source says, "Karan loves Belgian fashion designer Martin Margiela's outfits and scarves. On the red carpet, Karan wore one of the designer's creations. Talking about his Cannes experience, Karan says, "I didn't have any time to party or meet my friends in Cannes this year. I was to meet Abhishek and Ash but couldn't make it. Apart from walking the red carpet for the brand, I had important meetings to attend with studio heads. This is my fourth year there and I observed a couple of things at Cannes — maybe because of the global recession but things were a bit subdued there. Normally, the Croisette is extremely active and buzzing with people, but everything appeared much quieter this year."

On the positive front, Karan notes the gap between Hollywood and Bollywood getting lesser. "At studio levels, the bridge between India and the west is decreasing — Indian films have become lot more acceptable. I envisage the two woods — Bolly and Holly — coming together in the near future. Internationally, people are more aware of our cinema than they were earlier. I had people from France, Germany, Poland and other European states coming up to me and asking about Indian cinema. Things may be quieter on the film front in Cannes but the buzz regarding Indian and Indian cinema is louder this time around."

Karan definitely intends to capitalise on the growing appeal for Indian cinema in the international market for My Name Is Khan. "Though the domestic market is my priority, I do intend getting as many eyeballs as possible. MNIK has the right kind of blend of what we stand for. I am hoping to go beyond the diaspora with the film. The European and American markets are still untapped." Karan's been so busy that he's not had time to shop. "Cannes is for shopping for films and not clothes. I don't buy computers or gadgets. I think I am techno challenged. The only thing that I have done is get myself on Facebook and got a Black Berry."