BERLIN (Reuters) - Karan Johar, the director of superstar Shah Rukh Khan's film about post 9/11 intolerance in the United States said on Friday he hopes "My Name is Khan" will reach a wider audience than his previous Bollywood productions.
Johar told Reuters the film, about an Indian family in the United States whose happy lives are thrown into turmoil amid a backdrop of growing prejudice sweeping across America against Muslims, would surely appeal to his loyal Bollywood following.
"I made it to tell a story and if the content drives a wider audience, then why not?" Johar said after the world premiere of "My Name is Khan" at the Berlin film festival. "Every film maker's dream and vision is to reach out to wide, wide audiences to make sure the film gets viewed by many. That's my dream."
The film, which alternates between English and Hindi, is about a man named Rizvan Khan, a respectable Muslim played by Khan who suffers from Asperger syndrome, a mild form of autism.
Khan falls in love with a single mother, played by Indian actress Kajol, who runs a thriving hair salon. But their happily-ever-after is shattered by the spread of prejudice against Muslims following the Sept. 11 attacks.
"It's a film I've had with me for three years," said Johar, one of India's leading young directors.
Khan, one of the world's biggest film stars, suffered the humiliation of being detained and questioned for two hours on his way into the United States at an airport in August, apparently because of his name, which is common in Muslim societies.
Johar, who made other films like "Kal Ho Naa Ho" (Tomorrow May Never Come) and "Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna" (Never Say Goodbye) in New York, was eager to break away from the Bollywood style that celebrates elaborate music, costumes and sets.
"It's also, pardon me for saying this, but a point I really wanted to prove," Johar said.
"I was slotted as someone who makes bubble gum, candy floss, feel-good, diaspora-friendly films full of love and glamour and gloss and not really moving the cinematic bar at all. I used to wonder whether I was really capable.
"I didn't know how it would turn out. But it was really an endeavour to kind of be out there in the cinematic world and say I can do something that is not within my comfort zone. So there is a mild defiance in my film making this time, I must admit."
(Writing by Erik Kirschbaum, editing by Paul Casciato)
By Mike Collett-White
BERLIN (Reuters) - Shah Rukh Khan said on Friday he was "scared" and "hurt" by Shiv Sena's reaction to recent remarks he made in support of Pakistani cricketers.
The 44-year-old heartthrob, in Berlin to present his latest movie "My Name is Khan", also told reporters that he wanted to see the row settled quickly.
"I really want everybody to be happy ... and I'll make sure that by the time I get back to India that everybody is happy," said Khan.
"I don't want any aggression, any problem. I get very, very disturbed and scared and emotionally hurt when things like this happen."
He was referring to protests by Shiv Sena after he criticised the fact that no Pakistani cricketers had been picked for the Indian Premier League.
Earlier this week more than a thousand Shiv Sena workers were taken into preventive custody by police and security was beefed up at cinemas in Mumbai on Friday as the group targeted the opening of My Name is Khan.
Some theatres were initially reluctant to screen the movie for fear of violence, raising concerns among some analysts that Mumbai's image as a cosmopolitan business hub could suffer and that the city was being undermined by parochial politics.
Shiv Sena, which runs the Mumbai municipality, draws political sustenance from hardline Hinduism and an ultra-nationalism that includes strident opposition to Pakistan.
Khan said he was tired of the bickering, and stressed he was merely an entertainer.
"So much has been said, so much has been spoken, and with all due respect to everybody around the world, including in my country India, in my city Mumbai ... right now I'd just like to sit down here, walk the red carpet, have some champagne, enjoy the film.
"We as filmmakers should never ever look beyond the fact that we are here to serve the audience. That's how I see it. I truly believe that my job is to make sure people smile. I have no self-centredness or ego about it."
My Name Is Khan, directed by Karan Johar, is about a man named Rizvan Khan, a respectable Muslim played by Khan who suffers from Asperger syndrome, a mild form of autism.
Khan falls in love with a single mother, played by Indian actress Kajol, who runs a hair salon. But their budding romance is interrupted by the spread of prejudice against Muslims following the Sept. 11 attacks.
(Editing by Andrew Roche)
No comments:
Post a Comment