PANAJI: Filmmaker Karan Johar, who arrived at the opening ceremony of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa, shared how the cinema, storyline, characters and politics have evolved with time.
He said that from ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ to ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’, it’s been like a journey, “I have been here for the past 25 years and I am glad there is an evolution. I think from ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ to ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’, it has been like a journey. From one love story in 1998 to another in 2023. The characters have evolved, the journey has evolved, politics have evolved, the communication about family, love and gender equality has evolved I hope so and I am glad that the film received so much love.” ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’ was released on July 28, 2023. The film emerged as a hit at the box office. It crossed Rs 150 crore mark in India.
The film revolves around Rocky Randhawa (Ranveer), a Punjabi businessman, and Rani Chatterjee (Alia Bhatt), a Bengali journalist, who fall in love despite their differences and family objections. They decide to live with each other’s families for three months before getting married.
Veteran stars Dharmendra, Shabana Azmi and Jaya Bachchan also starred in Karan Johar’s directorial.
On the film’s success, Karan penned an emotional note on Instagram. He wrote, “Prior to the release of this film, I felt that at any point of time I would need an IV drip and was near collapse!! The question I asked myself was – is it the long 7 year gap? Or the anxiety built over the last 3 years. Or the fact that we live in an ambiguous box office time. Whatever the real reason is – I was a bonafide mess! But the Friday, 28th of July, I felt nothing but gratitude, validation and sheer joy. This film is truly a product of team energy & love.”
He expressed gratitude to the writers, dress designers and musicians of the film and wrote, “I want to first express my deepest gratitude to the writing forces of this film – Shashank Khaitan & Sumit Roy, who guided me through the narrative journey of our film. Special mention to Ishita Moitra, who brought so much humour, introspection and cinema drama to the screenplay and crackling dialogues. This entire writing process would not have been possible without the creative governance & brilliance of Somen Mishra.”
“To my best friend and the couture maverick, Manish Malhotra and to the supremely talented Eka Lakhani for matching the sari to Gucci with equal elan! Manush Nandan – for painting every frame so so beautifully. The maestro editor, Nitin Baid for keeping me in check! The aesthetic force and the best hug in town – Amrita. To Sohel & Debu Da, for taking us to the finish line with sheer expertise. To my absolute favourite Pritam da and his entire team – for creating and weaving musical magic that enhanced every scene of the film. To Amitabh Bhattacharya for his genius mind!!” he added.
Coming back to IFFI, the guest list for the event also includes Vijay Sethupathi, Sara Ali Khan, Pankaj Tripathi, Sunny Deol, Karan Johar, Shantanu Moitra, Shreya Ghoshal and Sukhwinder Singh, among others. (ANI)