Karan Johar opens up about his next, Takht
Karan Johar recently announced his film Takht, an epic period drama starring the likes of Anil Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Janhvi Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Vicky Kaushal and Bhumi Pednekar in pivotal roles. The director recently revealed to Film Companion in an interview that the film is based on warring brothers. “It is based in the Mughal era. It’s history. It’s about two warring brothers and it’s based on facts as we know them. Beyond that, it’s too early to say anything,” Johar said.
The director says that he is scared about making Takht as it is his biggest film to date, also adding that it is a bit like Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. “Yes, opulence-wise and scale-wise it’s my biggest to date. It’s scary and nerve-wracking. I’m scared every minute of the day. The announcement shook me up. I’m really petrified. It’s not the scale. It’s also the relationship dynamics. It’s like the K3G of the Mughal era. But it’s more extreme, there is more betrayal. It has the tropes of court politics. It’s so rich in texture,” the filmmaker added.
The director also discussed the fact that he has brought so many talented actors to one floor, saying that he cast all his actors because they fit perfectly in the role. Johar spoke of the inevitable comparisons with Sanjay Leela Bhansali as well, since the latter dominates in the period drama space. “I love Sanjay’s aesthetic. The comparison scares me but I hope I can find my own voice.”
Johar also spoke about giving writers Sumit Roy and Hussain Haidry the centre stage in the announcement poster, saying that it was high time that filmmakers start acknowledging the massive contribution of writers to a film, also adding that he felt inspired by Shoojit Sircar and Rajkummar Hirani, who always give writers Juhi Chaturvedi and Abhijat Joshi their due.