Karan Johar on ‘Kill’ Being ‘The Most Violent Film Made Out of India’ and the Soaring Success of Indian Cinema

Jazz Tangcay

Taking over a family business can be overwhelming, but for Karan Johar, it’s been anything but.

It’s been more than 25 years since Johar took over Dharma Prods. founded by his father, Yash. Back then it was a medium-sized production company producing films to moderate reception. Today, Dharma Prods. is an empire. “Karan has truly carried forward his father’s legacy and created a phenomenon with Dharma Prods. He is a cinematic genius,” says actor Alia Bhatt.

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Bhatt has worked with Johar for over a decade, first on the 2012 film “Student of the Year” and most recently on “Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani.” “Karan and his entire team at Dharma have been a strong pillar in the evolution of Hindi cinema,” says Bhatt.

This summer, Johar’s film “Kill” will be released domestically by Lionsgate in cinemas on the July 4 weekend, and is set to be released July 5 in India. It’s a historic moment for Karan and Dharma Prods. “This has never happened to this extent and this scale before,” says Johar of the film’s day and date release. “It’s not what normally happens. The films we make for exhibition in India are invariably released for the diaspora. This time, it’s for a global audience and we have international distribution.”

Last year, it had its world premiere at the Toronto Intl. Film Festival, where it was part of the Midnight Madness schedule.

“Kill” is set entirely on an express train to New Delhi. The film follows Indian army commandos Amrit (Lakyshya) and Viresh (Abhishek Chauhan) on a mission to rescue Amrit’s girlfriend Tulika (Tanya Maniktala). Tulika is betrothed to someone else against her wishes. Amrit and Viresh are unaware that there are 40 bandits on the train who are plotting to rob the passengers, setting off a bloody face-off.

Known to many as a filmmaker who puts his name on Bollywood films about families, music and melodrama, Johar is proud of that, but “Kill” marks a new direction for him.

He was attracted to the story within five minutes of director Nikhil Nagesh Bhat (“Long Live Brij Mohan”) pitching the idea “I was so invested in his written material and by the way he wanted to tell the story,” Johar says.

Johar describes the film as “blood porn.” “It’s the most violent film made out of India,” he laughs. “We’ve never produced something this violent and for a filmmaker like me, who’s had one slap in my entire trajectory — for a tight slap that one actor gives another — for me, to present and produce a film like this is a complete diametric shift of genre.”

It’s a small victory for Johar, whose films have been integral to this new golden era of Hindi cinema.

He credits the rise of streamers for his success and Indian cinema as a whole. “It’s brought the entire communities of filmmakers, storytellers and artists even closer together,” he says. “I firmly believe ‘RRR’ truly benefitted from being on Netflix. Everyone across the world had access to it, and people who saw it discovered S. S. Rajamouli’s absolute genius in telling a story.”

He adds, “What’s happening now is we’re not only consuming cinema from our countries, but we’re watching all kinds of cinema because it’s one click away. The digital revolution has caused awareness.”

Next up for Johar is the third installment of “Student of the Year,” which will be launched initially as a web series. Johar confirms that Reema Maya is on board to direct the series. He’d seen her 2023 short film “Nocturnal Burger” and was impressed with her skill set. He knew he needed to switch things up for “Student of the Year” and bring in a darker and edgier vibe to it. “I didn’t want it to be poppy and musical, I wanted to subvert the genre on its head and do something completely different,” he says. “Maya was the perfect person to bring her vision to the series and turn it on its head.” He teases, “We might make it a feature film again. There’s so much we can do with it.”

Johar is set to receive the Legend Award at the Gold House Gala May 11 in Los Angeles. “It’s a tremendous honor. A dear friend of mine, Prabal Gurung, who is the creative director of the Gold Gala and Gold House co-founder and board director, has been associated with it since its inception. I think it’s amazing how they’ve empowered the Asian community across the world.” He adds that the recognition and celebration give him pride. “I’m representing Indian cinema and that means the world to me. Events such as this put our cinema on the map.”

Johar is set to receive the Legend Award at the Gold House Gold Gala May 11 in Los Angeles. “It’s a tremendous honor. A dear friend of mine, Prabal Gurung, who is the creative director of the Gold Gala and Gold House co-founder and board director, has been associated with it since its inception. I think it’s amazing how they’ve empowered the Asian community across the world.” He adds that the recognition and celebration give him pride. “I’m representing Indian cinema and that means the world to me. Events such as this put our cinema on the map.”

Between “Kill” and the Gold Gala, Johar is optimistic for audiences to consume more Indian cinema. As for his success, he’s just getting started. He says, “This is the beginning of so much more.”

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