Karan Johar to find Heroine for Ashok Amritraj

Televisionpoint.com Special Correspondent - Frames 2006 | Day 02
Karan Johar in conversation with producer Ashok Amritraj on day two of the FICCI Frames 2006 conference, Johar has promised to help his US counterpart Amritraj find an Indian heroine for his next venture. Shekhar Kapur, who was programmed to be present, was not, surely disappointing many present. How ever Johar kept the chat informal and interesting, including ending the session with a rapid-fire round.

On whether Indian films should change their format to appeal to the west, Amritraj said, "The west finds it difficult to understand our traditions, but by diluting that Indian films are at risk of losing out on the domestic market." Amritraj felt that production, animations facilities and technicians had a better chance of crossing over to the west than movies like, say Black.

He announced that his film 'The Other End of the Line' should begin production by the end of the year, with a lead Indian girl and an American male lead. A lack of good and original stories, was cited as one of the reasons for India's poor show internationally. He also suggested that the backing of a Hollywood studio would help Indian filmmakers gain a bigger share of the pie as would stricter piracy laws. His final advice: Aim for the world market, but don't count on it.

The filmmaker said he was planning to make a film called The Other End of the Line, about an Indian girl and an American, to be made 50 per cent in each country, for which Johar said "we're going to find you that girl because we have a lot of talent in India". Amritraj stopped short of naming the sexiest actress in India despite repeated pressure from Johar.

"I'll have to ask for help on that one from Yash Chopra," said Amritraj, and candidly excluded Amitabh Bachchan from his list of three most favorite actors, citing the Khans — Shah Rukh, Aamir and Saif Ali. He described Saif Ali Khan's film Parineeta as the best one he had seen in recent times, but refused to budge on the sexiest actress issue.

Rapid Answer
Who is the best Indian actor? - "Shah Rukh Khan. Aamir too has his own style of acting."
Who is sexiest star? - "So many. But I find most of the Indian women are good models and more beautiful."
Which is the best film you have seen? - "Parineeta."
Which is the worst film you have seen? - "That's difficult to say."