21 Oct - His new movie, "Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani" may have a poster that seems to shout "rom-com!", but according to director Karan Johar, the film is more a family movie than romance. The filmmaker, who sat down with Film Companion recently, stated that the Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt-starrer is a family dramedy at heart that is not just about the two main leads, who are playing the titular characters. "It's got comedy, love, but it's a family movie. It's a film about their grandparents, their parents and themselves. It is of course Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani but it's also about Rocky Aur Rani's grandparents, it's also about Rocky Aur Rani's parents. There's a lot of interplay of relationships in the film."
In the same interview, Karan stated that he is excited about working with veteran stars and legends in the movie, namely Dharmendra, Shabana Azmi, and Jaya Bachchan - the latter of whom he directed on "Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham". "I have never worked with Dharamji and Shabana ever, nor has the company and I'm vastly excited to actually be able to direct them. Many many ticks on my bucket list. With Jaya aunty, of course, I've done a lot of work before and I'm excited to be back with her on set. More than anything else, I'm excited to be back on set. Excited to be directing a feature film," he added.
It is noted that it has been a while since Karan directed a full-length film, with his last one being the 2016's "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil". He later went on to co-direct two anthologies, "Lust Stories" and "Ghost Stories". The upcoming movie is set to be released in 2022.