It’s Karan’s call

I’m tired of box-office fights. I don’t want to fight for TRPs too, says filmmaker Karan Johar who straddles the worlds of cinema and television. Here’s a quick five…

Juggling the smallscreen and the big screen Karan Johar. Photo: K. Murali Kumar

You had a star-studded celebration for your birthday but by your standards it was rather low profile.

I was forced to celebrate my birthday. I didn’t want to celebrate it. That is why it was a last-minute plan and nothing big.

How did you get Ranbir and Madhuri together for the Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani song?

I cannot take any credit regarding the film because the whole effort was by Ayan Mukherjee. This song alone was my idea … I thought Madhuri and Ranbir together as a

jodi was unimaginable. I thought taking a contemporary actress with Ranbir would become very common. The novelty of the jodi is what has made the song a hit.

Your film Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and your TV show Jhalak Dikhla Jaa came at the same time.

The timing is great! When I came to know that

Jhalak ’s first episode was going to be telecast on June 1, the first thing that came to my mind was promotion. I thought I’d call Ranbir and make him dance. There was a sense of synergy, and the timing became perfect because Remo had choreographed ‘Badtameez Dil’ and Madhuri had shaken a leg with Ranbir for a song in the movie.

Do you see yourself producing anything on television?

Not at all. I am not at all interested in making any television shows because I am already tired fighting over the box-office; I can’t fight over TRPs too. I can’t understand the television business — reviving a character or killing him or jumping 20 years ahead all of a sudden! I can’t do all this, and I don’t want to get into a territory I am not good at. I always tell my friend Ekta, ‘Hats off to you for doing well in both fields’. She is the only one who can manage both the industries very well.

You judge a dance show but your mother says you can’t dance.

I’m a Punjabi. So my feet start moving on their own. In our culture, once you put on the music, it’s just impossible to stop us from dancing. Initially on the show, I said that I’d be a serious filmmaker and wouldn’t dance just because others told me I ‘can’t dance’. But I got carried away with the atmosphere of fun and entertainment, and did two or three steps. My mom has given up on me now! I performed in the first episode of Jhalak… because the idea was given by the channel and Remo choreographed the whole song. It was good fun!