Karan Johar back as director

Filmmaker Karan Johar says the pandemic propelled him to make a “quintessential Bollywood” movie in Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani as his next directorial venture. Written by Ishita Moitra, Shashank Khaitan and Sumit Roy, the love story marks Karan’s return to direction after the 2016 romantic drama Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. The movie stars Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt, alongside Dharmendra, Jaya Bachchan and Shabana Azmi.

Asked if he were to make his directorial debut in 2022 what kind of project he would choose, Johar said it would be something similar to his first film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. The director said he tried experimenting in his filmography — with drama in My Name Is Khan, and complex relationships in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, but chose to go back to a love story like Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani. —