This is the first film Red Chillies is co-producing with Dharma. Any particular reason?
My Name is Khan (MNK) is an expensive film — actually, Karan does not make cheap films. There are two reasons we joined hands: one because I am of the opinion that when you make a film you should try not to pre-sell it, specially if it is a little. Second, I did not want Karan to take a loan for this film and also I wanted to own (even 50%) of a film which is called My Name is Khan! A film like an Om Shanti Om, can be pre-sold , as it is a regular commercial film. But films like say Chak Deor MNK, require a freedom to be made with a free hand, without any commerce in mind.
Is the film a viable project then?
MNK the most expensive film Karan and I have done. A 90-day shoot in the US done within SAG rules (US union rules) with a staff ratio of 60:40 works out at least 20-25 % more expensive. Add at least five to ten recces before the final 90-day schedule began and you know how expensive it can get.
Commercially, of course, it is not a very viable film for the actor, director and actor-producer at this point, as we have not included our fees because then it would be too expensive. So we made it in just the money Fox Star gave us for it. But it’s our film and it’s special. Like the fantastic writer of ‘Iron Man’ Hawk Ostby told me, “Some work you do for business, some you do for love,” so this one is for love.
However, I don’t think the box-office will really be an issue. It will open up very well because this is a film which will work for the class — what we call the multiplex audience as well as the single-screen audience but not for very different reasons either. Actually, one can always give an outstandingly corporate answer as well. The business has worked for Karan and me because the greatest businesses are done in the greatest simplicity. I have never done so many tours for a film — I go to Indore and Lucknow over the next two days. I have done it for big cities but this film has an Islamic aspect so I want to go to the interiors and tell the Muslims to take a look at this part of the film which is part-Islamic. I want the message of the film to reach the largest number of audience. I truly believe that 90% of successful businesses are passion decisions-whatever number-crunching people do in boardrooms, thoughts and ideas and marketing, it is the idea which is the mainstay. And, therefore, no apprehensions . When film-making becomes only business it will make money, but it will not be mind-numbing anymore, it will not be breaking any paths. It has to be a passionate decision and also make some business sense.
Do you see the expense justified?
Absolutely. It was also necessary as MNKis largely a journey film, it needed to look interesting visually or it would just have been in a bus going to wherever. Even in terms of scale this is very different from what Karan has done before. There are no set havelis, no dancers, there is no big costume drama... it is just a story of one man travelling across the continent. So, for Karan to bring in scale in the vision: whether it was with helicopter shots, terrain shots or bike rides it was all necessary to the film. Of course, there were times when I told Karan that we could do a lot of what we did on VFX which would cut the cost, but Karan is not a believer in that. He is a more an on location kind of film-maker. But I am glad that Dharma and Red Chillies are doing MNK together.
You have the juggernaut might of Fox Star, Fox Searchlight and Fox for a huge strategic release across 65 countries, of which many markets are new, many have become opportunities because of your fan following. How does it help?
At a very minuscule level, I hope between Kajol, Karan and me we are able to open up at least two new markets and turn them into traditional markets for our films. Yes, of course, we are premiering at Abu Dhabi where I believe I have some fans as well as Berlin where we show at the film festival and, of course, Germany where we are doing some 50 prints! At this stage, all I want to ensure is that there are three things in my life I would never want to portray wrong — a disrespectful portrayal of a disability (I have been careless once, in Badshah where I portrayed a blind man in a comic way and I feel it was completely wrong in hindsight) or a religion and usage of language in a film.
How convincing is the film’s message?
There are two messages. One, you don’t have to be extraordinary to do extraordinary things. As a matter of fact, you can be less than ordinary. Like in the case of MNK, because the character is afflicted with a disorder — Aspergers. And you don’t have to do great things to become great. Just keep it simple, be true to the original idea and your final product, will be great. Secondly, I think there is an issue where Islam is concerned across the world. There is an image issue and it’s not whether Islam is wrong or right or bad or good. I think it is because a lot of Muslims have not explained what their religion stands for — so you need to send that message. I cannot blame someone for something that they do without understanding why they did it. So I need to explain to people that this wrong impression that you are getting is because of certain “in-your-face” activities of a few people who happen to be Muslims and it is not what Islam stands for.
The message of Islam is that there are only good people and bad people. It is such a simple idea. If you read the Koran you will know that this is what it is and you recognise it in other religions as well and the misinterpreted moments like Jihad and other few wrongly interpreted terminologies need to be explained in a nice and simple way. The film is not an image-building film for Islam but a message to say this is what Islam stands for which is goodness and humanity and all that is encased in the old Karan Johar belief that love conquers all. Like Karan says: If you see it from far it’s a sweet obstacle-ridden love story. You come up close and you realise that there are layers in it — of Islam, autism, disability , subtle racial discrimination...
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