$$$ Koffee With Karan $$$

2006 was one of the best years for Indian Cinema. It rained blockbusters and thundered critical acclaim. This is one of the special episodes of Koffee with Karan, where we had with us four filmmakers whose films not only brought the moolah, but also created a big impact. Karan's first guest was a veteran filmmaker. He has a near 100% commercial film success track record.. He has been responsible for giving India one of its biggest superstars and the biggest super hero - Rakesh Roshan.

Karan: There has been one kind of a remark made by the film fraternity and people from the media that Hrithik Roshan works only with his father Rakesh Roshan… it's only his father that gets the best out of him till Dhoom happened… did you feel an internal divide at home… because Dhoom is a Hrithik Roshan film all the way and the biggest money spinner for the year… making Krissh the second biggest hit … did you feel like an internal divide?
Rakesh Roshan: No… not at all… on the contrary I was very happy.. because the film belonged to my son.

Karan: Totally… What I find amazing is that most of us our younger film makers today … and you have been around as a film maker for over 20 years… and have been in the industry for over 37 years now… today you are in the panel of film makers who has made some of the youngest films in that respect… with all the visual effects it is one of India's first super hero films… you have done this at this age? Do you ever realize this?
Rakesh Roshan: I know… it was a difficult task… if you see in the Roshan family we have a producer - director… we have an actor … we have a music director in the family.. so we are four pillars of a film… so I thought if I don't take this step, who will… it's not a normal step… it was a leap… we could have fallen badly… and if I am making such a film… I must have the best technicians with me… so I went ahead and hired Tony Cheng from China… I got special effects people from Los Angeles… we spent a lot and worked on the minutest of details… I couldn't afford to lose any money… waste any money.

He is a film maker who promised that he would awaken a generation and he did and how… he is responsible for making one of the most acclaimed films of this decade. His film was also the Indian entry to the Oscasrs, the genius behind Rang De Basanti - Rakesh Mehra.

Karan: Did you really imagine, envisage or pre-empt the kind of impact your film created globally?
Rakesh Mehra: Honestly… No... I thought my work will be over when the film releases… which is Jan 26th but actually the work started on 26th Jan
Karan: Really
Rakesh Mehra: The kind of adulation we got from the people… from the critics… from the press... from the film fraternity... I still remember the first message I got that was from Rakeshji… it was a lovely message... I still cherish it.

Karan: Did you at all feel rejection when an actor turned it down or a production house that wasn't interested in it?
Rakesh Mehra: Rejection yes… but in a very different way… it only made us stronger… because everybody who didn't do the film… didn't reject it outright ... it was meant to be that way.

Clearly Gandhigiri should be a part of the English dictionary now… it's that kind of impact the film has had and here's the man who has managed to bring Mahatma Gandhi's ideology and vision to the younger generation - Raju Hirani.

Karan: I feel we are in some Director's Summit today and I am hosting this Summit… This is your second success in a row… this film did four times the business of your pervious film… did you ever expect this?
Raju Hirani: Very honestly… no.
Karan: Everyone is being quite modest…
Raju Hirani: I was actually very scared… because here was a film with Mahatma Gandhi... in fact we wanted to hide the fact that it was about Mahatma Gandhi … The initial reaction was that people will think it was a serious film… I was also scared of the fact that how people would react to something like Mahatma Gandhi… I had told my office people… please get your home and office insurance done… anything can happen.

Karan: Did you actually feel personally that there is a generation that has forgotten Mahatma Gandhi?
Raju Hirani: The first recording of the song we were doing… there was a guy who came to serve chai… he asked "Film ka naam kya hai"… that time it was called "Munnabhai meets Mahatma Gandhi"… so he said, "Munnabhai to teekh hai .. ye Mahatma Gandhi Kaun hai"
Karan: Oh God!!

His first film may not have been a thunderous success ... but his next two have met with tremendous amount of success and acclaim. He is the great writer of Hum Tum and the Director of the very successful Fanaa - Kunal Kohli.

Karan: Did you expect Fanaa to be the kind of success it was?
Kunal: Ahhh… I prayed for it ... I hoped for it ... but I didn't expect it to be such a big hit… I had two fabulous actors… Aamir and Kajol and if I hadn't delivered, then...
Karan: People would have stoned you…
Kunal: Ya… they would kill me… people had such high expectations… Aamir and Kajol coming together for the first time… it was scary.

Karan: And you must be very happy that Sanju is brand 'Munnabhai' today
Raju Hirani: Yes ..
Karan: On this show he mentioned to us that he was offered Jimmy Shergill's role?
Raju Hirani: I think what he didn't tell you was… Jimmy played a role of a person who had never slept with a woman… so Sanju told me "Should I be playing this role?"

Karan: I think the only mild criticism that came your way was about the climax of your film… there was a different take on whether the killing of the politician was justified and fell into the slot of the film .. did you feel the need to justify it?
Rakesh Mehra: The characters did what they did… if I would have felt otherwise … I would have shot it otherwise… my point of view is that… killing of a defence minister is politically incorrect… but film making is not about being politically correct.

Karan: I saw the screening of Munnabhai in New York and as I walked out there was this Sardar man who came up to me and said… "Apko aisi filmein banani chahiye… aap tradition se door jaa rahe hai … aap kaisi filmein banaate hai".

Karan: So, what do you have to say about critics Kunal?
Kunal: So all eyes are on me… I used to be one… I have very little respect for most of the critics today… because I don't think their knowledge of cinema is deep enough… their passion for cinema is not deep enough… and I think critics need to have a great knowledge about Cinema… and he or she needs to have no agenda… needs to be absolutely unbiased… I don't see that in most of our critics?

Karan: What is your take Sir … you have been in this industry from more than two decades… and have given one of the biggest blockbusters?
Rakesh Roshan: I feel that the biggest critics are the audience… you should take them seriously and not the critics… they don't know anything about film making … I don't give them importance at all… I don't even read the reviews?
Karan: You don't?
Rakesh Roshan: Not at all.

Karan: What do you have to say Rakesh… because you of course got the thumbs up from most?
Rakesh Mehra: Critics… you like them or you don't like them… they do influence… specially of an audience who do have a loyalty for films like Rakshiji's… your films so, who is this Rakesh Mehra… what are they saying about him… they do influence… but there is a huge responsibility on the shoulder of the critic… and like Kunal and Rakeshji were mentioning to do a job of a critic you need to know your job… it is not a critic's job to write the synopsis of the movie… and in the end praise the actors… because they don't want to get on the wrong side of the actors.