Big thing of water. Yep. Is this the cocaine we got from the Bollywood people? My friend Why would you say such a thing? Why would you make such an assumption?    That's why we drive Mercedes Benz convertibles But this is a interview he did with film companions. Not so long before his 50th birthday And it's a interview with them and he goes over his learning his future What about a future of his career about like insights of like Bollywood good and stuff like that So you read a lot of people sent this to me because he goes into depth of like watch for remember during the trial With Johnny and Amber everybody was watching for all the signals where she was doing coke because she was when she had the thing Up and then she looked her lips and then she watched Bollywood guys.  It's called Stretching out that skit long thing here. There's no there's no cocaine anywhere in the world. It's all a hoax They can seriously as a filmmaker and that's really the truth of it. I can I can defend myself I can argue it I can speak from my heart about what I feel about my work But the truth is I'm not taken seriously by a certain section and now I've learned to live with it And like Like every movie star that hit the dance floor, there was a song for that was my 50th birthday and for the 50th time I'm in conversation with Anupama Chopra on film companion. Please subscribe share do whatever you can Hey, look at the background I I figured 50 years is a good time to take stock And I think it is I mean I don't yeah, it's an awesome time You know, I took some stock then consider it to be like halftime And like everything else you do current turning 50 also created headlines Looks a lot like my 50th super spreader Was it was it simply that you wanted to turn 50 with the most I'm buoyant So it so happened I know it was not how it was meant to be actually When I it was a lot of my because I think that when I turn 50 it was a very big deal in my own head And I had like really created like a big deal about it in my head for many years Complete self-importance nothing beyond that. It's just me feeling great and I am turning 50 and how I feel like everyone must take notice of the fact I Because I've been in the industry now 27 28 years I just felt like I really want to do something special. So the idea was like I should do something We did not get an invitation Very upset Not that we could have gone But I would like to have it You give us drugs You know, it's in those cups In many ways home and it's which is where we're sitting now we're sitting right now at yashraj films And it just felt like and when he gave me that that that feeling that that is where I should do it I was like it all fell into place I was like my 50th has to be at yashraj films because my anything I know about this movie industry about the movies the passion for movies everything I've learned from this studio from yashankal and from adi and literally I felt like there was no better place for me to Celebrate my 50th. So then of course my production designer amrita Apurva the CEO of my company Marika who's like who you know is one of our producers and Dharma Everyone just became like part of the crew that took care of it Like they just took care they said the interiors has to be a set and of course it has to be over the top Dramatic theatrical all the above everything that I'm all about. Yeah, and unapologetically.  There's be chandeliers on the party on the dance floor as well as on the ceiling like everywhere It has to be chandeliers everywhere. So people were looking like chandeliers They were chandeliers and I was loving it all and I had such a good time at my own party Like I was just having fun meeting people and I called all the people I worked with and and love and have like Just like feelings of like you've been in that some like I'm not even seen through the last two and a half years But you have that relationship with them. It was really like and I said like mom. You're not invited First of all, I'm 50 and I live with mommy Well, not unusual it's lovely and I love it. I wouldn't imagine my life without it But I was like mommy Maybe I should draw some age I'm 50 myself Somewhere so that was the line I drew So it was great fun. Everyone was there and of course there was stories and media articles that said that it became a super spread now look Not to get technical about it But we don't know who contracted it when because there was a lot happening that we even in the movie Did it become a super spreader event? I don't need to sound like a victim but I don't Like I have nothing to do with this pandemic. I just want to put it out there. It's not me nothing I have no connection with you. You were in the lab in Wuhan. We know it How many people contacted it did happen at my party? I'm not saying it. I don't know So on I and you have 10 credits as a director. Okay, and that includes the three shorts You did for the anthologies Bombay talkies ghost stories last story plus Rocky Irani Kipremkani, which is the film you're directing now. So you're a bit prolific producer But as a director you've taken a long time to incubate to create But that's changing now. You have said that you want to make seven more movies You have already announced good an action film that goes on the floors right after Rocky Irani releases But what is changing is it just a keener sense of morale? I think Yes, I think I decided when I turn 50 that what is this decade? What is something that I have to kind of make sure and I said what I have to make sure is I have to make many movies I have to direct many movies good bad glad he's gonna be directing whatever the outcome is But my endeavor will be to direct many movies this decade so that when I turn 60 and I have another Celebration with the same chandeliers I will still feel like I've left me at least like to seven things in that decade Which I can't say right now if I go in my 40s I have directed two movies And that's really that's not enough Not to say that the world is waiting for me or that I feel like I'm a filmmaker that people are beating You know be baited breath for what I'm actually any of that But I need to do it for myself right because I feel like it's it's like I think what was what's his last one one of the shorts? I think so And when I see the execution of a certain vision happen in front of my eyes that feeling I'm not getting From any other thing that I do and I realize that the most on the sets of rock here I need to bring honey because I'm it's like another feeling of that's the one with Rain beer and I'm shooting a song right now Renvier not renvier yeah fifth time I've done a song Why there are many performing artists and dancers and there's a big set and you know It's just like what you call the quintessential big Bollywood item song I love every minute of it like every time I take a shot every time like when we sing turns in 48 frames to camera I'm like lovely Zingy and like everything everything that I grew up in love And I don't feel like that part of the cinema that we create his aged at all Yeah, do it much less or no because there's so much more So much more focus on trying to kind of you know be catering to a certain Sensibility as well this film I'm not saying that I'm not catering to that sense of meaning But I'm also having a lot of fun and that joy is what I want to repeat in this decade so Speaking of big blowout songs Clear through line in terms of aesthetic from kuch kuch opa in 1998 to Jukjukji or your latest production right you are a lover of The big yeah, the big thing right so the big star the songs the beautiful locations I mean remember you said to me once I think you're only half kidding that even your cameraman has to be good looking I Surprised me That's awesome My work meter keeps going so high when I'm giving any interview now because I'm like okay that parlance has to be altered and that terminology cannot be used anymore. So now I'm not sick. Let's not say good looks Let's call it a thing of beauty. Let's say sexy. They've got to be sexy But There's enough So here's my question right whenever of course the other great color so of beauty in him He said my is Sanjay Leela. Yeah, and whenever I talk to him about this He's always sort of traced it back to a childhood of deprivation. He always said that because they want colors There wasn't Outsize kind of staggering loveliness. He wants to constantly create it now Is that a backstory for your kind of she always has such good questions Love to intellectualize this answer and give you something that would track back to my childhood and maybe subconsciously it can be Yeah, I just love in the cinema I grew up loving in the cinema when VHS was introduced when I was nine or ten years old and I could Watch the movies where I had heard all the songs growing up with my mom She was a big listener of all the Guru that saw was Mohammed Rafi Kishore Kumar Latta G Asha G, you know ST Burma Nardi Burma like I used to I love that we know these names now So when VHS came I wanted to put visuals. I know some of those names. Yeah, I wanted to see Pyaasa I wanted to see Kaga's Kippur. I wanted to see those movies because I'd heard all I wanted to see how did they perform Vakta ne kia ya see sitam So I just grew up loving cinema Hindi cinema at that time because it was just the only cinema I was exposed to and while everyone in my in I grew up in a very affluent Neighborhood called Malabahir when no, but it wasn't cool to watch Hindi films talk about it go to the cinema and watch But I didn't care because I was like I love this cinema. I love it I used to dance in my bedroom to Bollywood songs. I was obsessed with Rishi Kapoor I wanted his letters that he bought in the movie Performing to all the dance steps alone in my room in front of my mirror and I did it Unabashedly and unapologetically all I loved was Hindi cinema When I used to go and watch a film I knew and the sensor certificate came out and it was a 15 real film I would feel sad my heart would sing 23 reels in the sensor certificate you'd read the reels in those days. Yeah, I would be like yeah, it's 23 reels is longer There was no such thing as a film. I did not love There was no such thing as a film. I did not enjoy the longer the film the better There were trial shows which we now know as previews. I used to wait from the morning off that day That's why all of his films are over three hours And just just sink into my and just get into that world It didn't matter who was in the movie who made the movie. How good a bandit may have been in retrospect. I loved it That's the feeling really that that I have always brought to the cinema. I've created I love everything about the tropes of Bollywood that we know them The movie stars the glam of the glitter the energy of those song and dance sequences Of course, one is trying to evolve that with time and give it some plausibility and sensibility Which is really tough because some of it just comes from a place of abandon. There's no logic to why Ranbir Singh is dancing There's no logic why I'm shooting a song in Vienna where Alia is going to be wearing beautiful jackets And Ranbir is going to be singing behind her and she's going to pretend she didn't see him You know, so it is no logic to any of this and I don't want to give you the logic I'm so excited for his next film I'm not quite sure what I can track back to but I can definitely track it back to my memories of just loving Hindi cinema when I was eight nine ten and then beyond But you know, that's the other thing about about coming back to your party because it was so amazing that all these people in these stunning gowns on this red carpet revival camp, right? But if eventually you're dancing to definitely Of course It is what I I let you know what my kids present to me was They're five and a half and they know how obsessed I am to duffie valley. So duffie valley goes back to me and my childhood When I watched sargam in a preview theater, I became obsessed with that film and as a child I don't think my father even realized That he kept asking me to dance to duffie valley, but I wasn't doing the rishi kapoor step I was doing the jaya pratha step and he was He was fine with it. He was fine that his son was performing to those dance steps every day In his living room and he would make me do it in front of his friends And I would do it with great fun and everyone Sang along and danced along and they celebrated my excitement for that. That song is a big part of my childhood That's wonderful. I'm obsessed with that song be supportive of your children And jaya pratha came on sale and we did duffie valley together and I hugged her And I said you have no idea what this moment means to me. You have no idea It was jaya pratha in duffie valley. Then it was shri devian kate. I performed this on my own I loved so when my children Uh, what did you give me a present?  They had completely forgotten You talk here and johar doesn't like to talk. Not at all. Yeah, he's just He was like the movie star comes on the dance floor and we play the song You have to be so he and dj ganesh were like at it. They literally did a tech check He did a tech check the party was like way down there like 10 11 and night people were coming He was there at 4 p.m. At the ashram during a tech check for sound He had gone and rehearsed the duffie valley item. He had made them make those This is not surprising in the night at all because he wanted it and it was a big surprise for me I had no idea any of this was happening. They created a mix They played it And it was he was in charge of the music. He was like this has to be like the own shanti own dance I see Like movie stars on the dance floor and play their songs like So it was like literally salman and shahduk were dancing to bangra paale And like kajal and rani were dancing to koi meal. Yeah, I want to see video in that. Yeah There was a song for them and he was ready. He was only on the dj console. I bet they had to check in their phones I have to be very very immensely grateful for him. Actually he controlled so the music came straight from him And he's like, yeah, we are not playing any of this house and lounge and cool You know and rock and we are playing bollywood That's what I am I'm apologetic. Love it. How can I have any other music at my party? But okay, tell me this guy and I tell me honestly When something like this happens when you have done we do your music when you have every star of any note on that floor Is there a sense of power? Is there a sense of This is a show of strength. I am sort of What a great question Not at all. Come on be honest. I mean not at all. I mean like I'm Can I truly be honest and I swear? Yeah. Yeah, it's a lot of gratitude And also things that we have done right I'm like that's obviously built this relationship And I'm like I'm really proud that my upbringing made me do that Like it made me understand that I don't need to be moved friends with you only if I'm working with you Simple concept which nobody in this industry really follows I'm in touch with all actors Whether I'm working with them or not. There's a connection. You make a connection You have to further that with the communication and further that with really some emotion I would advise how can you invest with somebody work so closely with them and go Your separate ways right after the film is over. That's the nature of the business. That's what everyone does I don't do that. I don't do that. It's not something it's not in my DNA So what I what was happening in front of me was a lot of celebration and for me a lot of gratitude that I've done what my father would have liked me to be I'm trying to be the person that he would like his son to have been is In touch with the fraternity close enough and of course there are people who don't like me and there are people I don't like I'm human and I'm no way. I'm not some saintly person who's loving everybody There are people I can't stand and there are people who can't stand me and that that is going to happen but more or less I've tried my level best to kind of Live up to the relationships that that actually began on a certain emotional note and then I didn't want to let go So if I worked with somebody in 1998, they're still in my life today, you know, uh, they had relationships you I know I haven't it's not a shower. Can I work together as actor? Since 12 years Who is the closest to me in this business? He is his family is my family So it's like I don't think it's about the work It's about how you can nurture those relationships and I believe I've done that that to me is not power It's a victory. It's an emotional victory. Yeah. Yeah. Well said speaking of Shah Rukh Karan, you and Abhi were really sort of key architects of The sort of Shah Rukh Khan phenomenon and you more than I think most filmmakers have had a really sort of front row seat To stardom and the evolution of stardom and in the cinema. How much has it changed? What stardom? There's no stardom. Abhi nahi hai. Kaa hai. Really? There is some There may be there is Popularity What is the difference? It's a big difference Magnetism the mystery mystique aura. I don't think this generation has it I think they are wonderful artists But do they have that magic and mystery that I grew up when I grew up and I was at a party and mr. Bacchan Walked in mr. Dilip Kumar walked in mr. Shah Rukh Khan walked in it was like heads turning. I've seen it Or are like everybody like literally is feeling the presence of that was power. Yeah, that was stardom. That was glory Today everybody is much easier. It's also the generation that is easier more casual more accessible more On a daily basis. I'm swiping you on my instagram.  I know which pilates class you go to.  I know what you do I know everything about you. How can there be any mystery attached? So that's interesting even walked into my party. You could feel there was a touching energy It's an interesting take. It's like, you know that Shah Rukh Khan is Shah Rukh Khan because there is that aura I mean that that kingdom that he has and that feeling of that kingliness that he got It's true. It's true. If you walked in right now, you would feel his energy And even if you didn't see him, that doesn't happen with this generation It's a Jaya Bachchan from K-3G. You could just sense Shah Rukh Khan I'm telling you, everyone felt it. So Shah Rukh was the only one who didn't walk the red carpet. He came from the other side So when he walked in and he was in the party, I could see whether it was a younger movie It was as young as maybe Ananya Pandey right up to his peers Everybody felt the aura. That is stardom. What are you telling me about a feeling of it's all It's nothing. So is that a move on? Are we done with that? I don't think there's going to be that kind of stardom anymore. I'm not saying it's a wrong or right thing I'm like it doesn't exist. I'm not saying that that's something that I'm going to miss or the world will miss Maybe the concept of stardom is just going to be this because we're in a world of active social media And there is not going to be such a thing as manic stardom because you know where everyone as I said is so accessible It's the way it is, but I don't think it's going to ever be like it was Really?  You'll be like movie star You know lights, arc lights, lights like like Big silver screen magic like it'll all come by memories, nostalgia Do I feel like when I meet anyone from this generation know what I love them? I think some of the finest actors we have are in this generation to be brilliant artists But that magic and aura, I don't know Karen, your cinema is by design Accessible.  You talked about the female orgasm with Kiara and the vibrator and all stories Do you feel if you were more formally inventive if your craft was More groundbreaking that people would recognize the other things you've done Nobody is recognizing it because so much else takes over This party takes over, right?  You didn't ask me about my short film. So that's who I am And then I've learned to Yep The trap around me always take over the seriousness, which I might have or might not have it's it's a separate issue I'm not taken seriously as a filmmaker and that's really the truth of it. I can I can defend myself I can argue it. I can speak from my heart about what I feel about my work But the truth is I'm not taken seriously by a certain section and now I've learned to live with it It's fine. It's what I am if I when I I feel there's a crudging approach to even praising me when I do something different I'm like, it's like marmarke tarif liklegi marmarke, you know, they will be like they will be like, you know, like Maybe this just happened. It's not Or they'll be like if this is him then what what is he doing in the rest of the work he creates I don't know if I'm good or bad anymore. It's just like I want to do what makes me happy when I told love stories It was a story that I wanted to tell it was a script that came to me from a very bright writer And I was like completely and when I thought of the idea of playing the track of kaby kushi kabygum over the orgasm I was like it's great. It's not that I'm feeling like I feel like there's a There's a subvertive kind of like way of kind of like making fun of your own self which is self-deprecating and And gorgeous, I think Rightfully even when I did Bombay talkies and talked about repressed sexuality in a marriage I would I talked about infidelity, you know in a film I mean even my film like my name is Khan which I I tried attempt about you know about the social fabric And where we live and how we operate I don't think I got enough credit for doing any of that. I'm still asked You're great at carpets and events about who you make these beautiful grand lovely films. I'm like I've also made other stuff But like I don't think I will ever get a knowledge for that and I've learned to be okay with it I'm not saying that I'm bitter about it anymore. There was a phase that I was like, yeah, I really want critical acceptance Because I feel like I'm also beyond what people see like I feel that is a part of me as a filmmaker I agree not getting enough credit for I agree that used to bother me at one point Honestly, it doesn't bother me anymore Like I don't seek that validation and maybe it's like a load of my chest And you might see it and rock your money. It's like a load of my chest film It's really going back to the basics with of course the syntax of today But it's really celebrating everything and grew up watching and I don't care anymore When I made my name is Khan. I wanted to win an award When I when I made last stories. I wanted and uh, Bombay talkies I want to be part of a group of very celebrated critically acclaimed filmmakers and I wanted to belong I had all these feelings. It came from insecurities. I don't have them anymore today fortunately But you also said yourself that I haven't made that sort of groundbreaking film Yeah, I that I haven't made the biljata all alone. It's just not there in my filmography So why do you think that is have you been too timid as a story teller? No, I've been a producer also I also run a studio and So you mean when you're directing you're thinking too much like a producer. Yes, I am It becomes a tentpole film for the company. I have yet been able to detach myself from my the studio that I run Like where oh, I'll just do this and no one will care I'm like no my film is a tentpole film Then there's an expectation of And recoveries and the business that this film needs to do there is that thinking It needs to be liberated from that that commerce with the art And that's what I I feel like that's where it's sometimes perhaps The ability to creatively breathe doesn't happen because there is also a balancing act Oh, it has to be music because I'm getting that much for music Oh, the film has to be wider. It has to work in the diaspora as well. It has to work everywhere So, how do I plan that experience because I'm going to spend this much I need to recover this much as a mathematics that happens along with it So it's easy for people to turn and say but you can do what you want to but I don't want to I want my film to be the tentpole film for my company and my studio and I need to know that you're limiting yourself I don't know it's limiting. I also enjoy the what I do So it's not like I'm dying to kind of tell a story which I haven't been able to Maybe and now there's also Dramatic entertainment that allows me to breathe digitally and maybe I will you know tell a different story I keep saying that you know, I want to I do a show like this and I haven't been able to get down to doing it But a lot of my thinking for when I've created content has also my thinking honestly and I want to say this It's not something that That I'm hiding as well. There is definitely a producer hat that that also comes in play And that you use the word limiting but I use the word catering I'm catering to my to my company and what I need to do for it and Never done anything. I haven't enjoyed like I've enjoyed making kabe khushi kabe yam as much as I did the short and bombetokis I've had great fun on both sets. It's because I'm telling a story in the way But when I do make a big theatrical experience, I I do think of various other factors and I'll be lying if I said I don't Tell me there's been so much hand wringing in the last Couple of months about the sounds and the rise of the sounds and and what's wrong with hindi cinema, right now Hypothesis I have is that one of the Things that is hobbling hindi cinema is also the sort of industrial strength vanity That is a part of this business vanity is a part of showbiz everywhere But I think in this ecosystem With the paid news with the sort of projection constantly on social media With the sort of head turning salaries for stars of it seems to have kind of gone into another level and that has finally become a big hurdle to get past because Everyone's pitching themselves as a brand rather than an artist Would you agree with this hypothesis? uh Partially, I think that you know that we're victims of Of the very things that we should run away from is like this all this weather It's like paid PR. It's media blades. It's projections perceptions all of that I agree with that that that that is plaguing us in in various ways But also I think we don't have the conviction There's a victims of herd mentality. It's like suddenly I think what happened in telugu cinema, you know predominantly if you go by now Karana cinema has given us this massive hit with kgf Telugu cinema and now with kgf Tamil cinema and and malayalam Have always been story heavy content heavy. It said they've always told stories. They've been, you know, they've also been commercial They've also been aesthetic a lot of that has has happened Telugu's been hugely mainstream a big audience and now kgf has broken all records with the first kananda Grooble film like you know, which has been made what I think is common And I have worked with all that so it's straight But I've been at the launch of Bahubali one Bahubali two at the launch of RRR at the launch of kgf I've been at all these launch events and 2.0 Uh, the big theatrical I've been at all the launch I'm in fact hosted every one of these and I'm very proud about that fact because I've been in touch with filmmakers from the south Actors from the south for a very long time. I think I think I'm happy to report that I saw this This created mad crazy blitz and energy much before anybody else in my industry did that I would like to say that that is true and I'm I'm and I'm happy about that And proud of it is when I saw it not because I'm proud of that I had anything to do with that genius that they created I have nothing to do with Bahubali. But you were there. I was there. I was part of the party I was part of the party But I think what I feel in common is they have a lot of conviction and they don't listen to other things They just follow their conviction. They know what they're doing. They do it. They're not seeking acceptance Validation approval wanting to create. They are so confident in their skin They are so convinced with what they're doing and I think that's what we all lack in our cinema. We don't have conviction Suddenly biopics are doing well then everybody will make a biopic Suddenly now everyone's spoken up to the syntax of of of the southern cinema and now we want to suddenly start doing that We are what what movie? We made certain movies with certain amount of love and conviction that the 70s or the 80s So I'm talking about in recent memory the 90s even when we did love stories with abandon We stopped all of that because suddenly 2001 Lagan and Vilchata came and we were like we want to also be walking And being nominated at the academy award. That was true to those films. Those were great films You will not perhaps be able to do it again. So why should you try? In fact, I thought I respect about a filmmaker like Sanjay Leela Bansali I'm like he sticks to what he loves and he is never and when he did deviate which he had Those didn't work out for him. But whenever he stuck to what he's passionate about He's never gone wrong And I love that about it as I do about any filmmaker who stuck their ground But a lot of filmmakers and I have to say including myself We get carried away We get carried away with where the wind is blowing and I've done it myself Like at one point in time suddenly when I saw these movies doing well and I was like I need to make a My name is Khan when I'm in it. I was like I want to win an award I want critical acceptance. I want four stars on my review. Like this is what's going to matter It's not about the business. It's about the the aesthetic and it's about the critical acceptance I've done that myself. Suddenly when I when I was in neither here nor there situation after that film I was like, let me go back and make student of the year I feel like what they had is conviction and what we lack is exactly that And I feel all the rest that you're talking about are peripheral problems. Our main thing is we don't have conviction Do you I mean like look what's happening. I mean like we need to up our storytelling We need to empower writers. We need to go back to basics Basic love for cinema conviction of Indian cinema. We need to stop trying to be somebody else You know, we need to stop appealing to who we can't appeal to if you are anura kashyam You know, this is your strength. You will do that if you are ss raja Well, you know what you need to do.  That's all I tell any filmmaker actor included I feel actors are like me entering doing whatever is wherever the wind is blowing They're trying to go with it. Oh action is working now We all want to do action films including me who was a direct one. So I'm like we're all so So idiotically unconvinced about our strengths and weaknesses that we just tend to be all over the place And I think that's when I meet SS Raja Moli when I meet Shankar sir and I meet when I when I when I met Prashant meal who's directed kgf and I meet the producers. They just know what they are doing and they don't care What anybody else has to say So I'm like it's also working both ways I feel we are also not given any kind of leeway And also we are then trying to be somebody else. So we're all over the place. So we're living a dual existence and we have to stop Do you have any regrets? I wish I'd focused on my personal life a little more I don't think I have none that I mean as a parent. I feel very fulfilled today. I'm thank God. I took that step And I think I took that step Five years too late. I wish I had done that even earlier, but I feel like in all this Relationship building producer building studio building. I let myself in my personal life Take a backseat As I did like I like I talked about you professionally as a director But I think the bigger regret I have is that I didn't I didn't give that part of my life The importance that I think that it deserved at the certain point of time and now I think it might be too late No, I mean that's you saying that with empathy, but I'm saying that with reality And like I think it's perhaps too late for me to now Find a life partner and you know go to the mountains for all Is it too late, right? Oh, I don't have some planning to be dead You're Even that is not too late But uh, you're older than him, right that life I'm 53 that someone to hold your hand at times of trials and tribulations You know because I think that what I think a life partner does for you like a partner In in love and in like, you know, you're in a marriage. You know what I mean?  Uh, I don't have that that's a vacant spot in my life. And that's my deepest regret Hopefully temporary You never know. You're only 50. Yeah, seriously. I if you want one You said to me that I tell everyone my age that you have to work towards being relevant And you said that's your biggest fear. Is that you won't be jealous? So Are you afraid of a time when people won't talk about you? Yes That was a quick answer. Why? He knows I don't I don't like a difference I'm okay with it I'm okay with Of course, I'm okay with love I'm not okay with indifference. I don't I don't mind that That you are absolutely trolling or hating me. But if you're not talking about me, it's gonna bother me Interesting. I don't have any other answer to give you it's gonna bother me Relevance is an indifference So relevance in work. So I have to kind of move with the times and kind of understand the climate and the you know Is thinking as a producer again Even if you hate them you're you're talking about the bad All presses good press my mentality Stay connected with the stories of your times the music of your times the people the syntax everything That's one thing personally. Also. I want to also be talked about For whatever I do like if I'm throwing this party and you're not gonna ask me this question I'm like, why did I throw it? I like Like talked about I don't want your indifference I don't mind it. But as I said, I don't mind your extreme reaction to me. That's the one thing that I don't know how I deal with I've spent 28 years being talked about and I would like to spend I mean, I feel if I can manage that to really push it to as much as I can I'd be very grateful That's all I can say because I don't want people to not talk about me. That would be heartbreaking This is in the right industry At the 90s Okay, last question, you know, I first interviewed you In 2001 just before k3g released. Okay. Okay. I came to your office and for that same I did this piece for india today night day And for the same piece I interviewed your mom And she said to me that, you know, he was such an introvert such a That's the descriptor she used that I couldn't believe he was going to direct a film So come All these years later is that introvert is that for you keep each a person somewhere in there or have you changed completely? So no one believes it and I'm gonna say this with a straight face And I don't know if you're gonna buy it and I don't know if anyone's gonna buy it and thank you Now, what can I do about it? I still am really slightly shy It's like saying run veer really has no energy anyone I see I said even now when I talk it to a party I'll go alone because I've learned to do that because I'm like, I don't want them People around me have any kind of security But I'm awkward till I put on that role So what I can do because I'm Gemini and you get two for the price of one That's a great shirt. I'm a Gemini you get two for the price of one But that one part is a complete think my twins are Gemini's I think I will put up a show and you will never know you're right You got two for the price of one. So that's I mean there are four. Yep. You've got five kids Initially me my my my will to please you so I will put up the show But part of it might be like actually, I don't know what I'm doing here Like I'm a little like awkward about it So that look at the child and then shy kid is somewhere still around in the vicinity But there's a lot of performance that has come on top of it now So who am I really happens when I go home And I say goodnight to my mom and I know my kids are asleep and I go into my room and I get into my shorts And I wear my t-shirt and go to my crumble and I watch and I reply to myself having my thoughts Sometimes staring in the ceiling sometimes watching content sometimes reading that is who I really am Those four hours that I give myself in richly the solitude of my room because I don't have a partner I'm not in a relationship a lot of that solo time is where I've become that that kid that I was And that and I enjoy my own company a lot more now than I used to because it used to make me deeply insecure earlier Because I felt like I needed to be everywhere now with age I'm like I'm really happy when I can spend those four hours with myself And many a time I've done that and I've enjoyed every bit of the silence in my room Because there is so much noise around me otherwise Yeah, there is there is and that noise karan is only going to get louder since you are shooting season seven of coffee with karan Yay Well, uh, can I tell you what I'm saying in my campaign? I'm saying screw it. I'm still gonna brew it Nice I know you said that you will know sense of power when when all of these people are there at your birthday night Is there a little bit teeny weeny sense of power when all of them are on your couch saying things they probably shouldn't be But that's changing. I know they are also commanded. I'm shooting my second season. I have to like yank it out No everyone's so like will you ask me about this? Will you don't ask me about this? Don't say this. Can you cut that out? I'm like I like what's going on like what happened to candor What happened to good old fashion like casual repartee and an intimate coffee with karan for that matter when I was watching You know, we were making a mash-up of all the seasons and I was watching it Like I've literally seen myself age on those seasons because it's like I remember you messaging me when we put out that little bit of like that gimmick saying that coffee with karan is I was so sad. I was so sad So wait, we bought it on that couch Like it was so is now everyone is so worried because like suddenly they know that Everything will become a headline. It'll be sensationalized.  He's like, yeah, you have to pay the price for it for too long Why should I do this to myself? He said, I love you. I'll meet you now. I'll say talk to you You give me coffee at home I've also had that, you know, I'm like, and I laughed loudly because he said he said, please He said he said he was like When he saw he said karan, show me the edit, you know, because you can build public perception on the basis of that performance on that couch And I'm like, why are you taking it so seriously? Right. I mean, let's not do it anything else.  They call it that It is that only that I'm not breaking any boundaries with that show Not talking about anything intensely cerebral, but having just Toppish college and that's why everyone's give the pleasure because people like to watch It's what you call the quintessential cringe binge Well, I can't wait to see it, Karan. Thank you. I look forward to showing it to you on the 7th of July Good plug. Nicely done. Nicely done. Karan, thank you so much and then, you know, happy birthday. Thank you. Thank you All right, thanks for watching. Bye Like we just wanted nothing. Just absolutely nothing. That would be great He's so good He is Much smarter than people give him credit. Oh, yeah known that for on all aspects. Yep. Absolutely in terms of even though he says in here He doesn't get any credit as a filmmaker Just because he doesn't make like Anya Raghashi up all the time kind of films doesn't mean Mean he's not worthy of a filmmaker. If you listen to him talk about film making Not from the producer side of things but from the storytelling side of things and the acting and the directing side of things His his cinematic intelligence is really high. Yeah Really high and you could tell in the same way that You know since Anya Raghashi is our toast. Maybe Karan will be our future toast That he loves cinema You could tell he loves hindi cinema specifically. Yeah, he'd like this is what he grew up Just absolutely adoring and it shows in his work. Yeah And it's gonna show in the work He's going to do because he's at a place right now if he holds true to that And I don't see why he wouldn't that the films he makes over the next 10 years of his life He's not going to be making them for any other reason than just this is what I want to make It'd be really interesting to see if he his only problem is going to be the producer hat That's going to be his problem. Yeah Is can I still tell the stories and direct the films? I want to tell without thinking about the fact that this has to be a tent pole And I have to do this with my budget. He if he could that's going to be a challenge Yeah, but other than that, I don't know if he's going to be able to get out of that The only way he can would be if someone like his friend srk said Just let red chilies do it And let me worry about that side of it and you just direct But I don't know that he wants to lose that I don't think so. I think he's he likes the control. Yeah, obviously he's a director and a producer And he wants to know what the money is Happening to it. I don't think he can separate himself. I think he can but you could tell he's he he's quite intelligent Yes, he is he's quite self-aware as well very he knows articulate. He knows his perception around India About him as a filmmaker him as a person. It's quite hilarious. He's like his biggest fear is just just continue to talk about me Absolutely hilarious, but something that I I I bet you Over 75 of people in the entertainment industry Feel that exact same. Yeah Because if you're not talking about them Your your job is Unfortunately over really. Yeah, because it's a business. No because that means you become irrelevant And if you're irrelevant, then why would someone work with you? Yeah, and it might sound like Weird, but obviously for somebody who's been in the industry for 30 years.  You just want people to talk This is his life, man And this is this is he's married and I think that's probably why he doesn't have a partner It doesn't think you'll have a partner. He's married to his work. Yeah producing directing and he enjoys it What lovely that he's got a piece about that I loved him saying that he's Got into the place where he can enjoy the silence and be you know and be with himself and because of that he's probably Do not be surprised if you hear he's found a partner very soon because typically you find your partner When you're not looking for your partner Because it just is natural and you're you get that person for the right reason It'll be really interesting to see his next work and I'm excited Obviously, we know what style of film. It's gonna be he's what he's wanting to honor old school Indian cinema So it's probably gonna be big over the top Kieran Johar Films, which is its own genre and it's wonderful. Yeah To see alia and and ren beer. It's gonna be great the closest in terms of us that we've seen In that role of ren beer is probably ramblila Yeah, probably the closest the closest one to and then I think he'll also because he's got Films like my name is con in in his in his heart and he'll make it because he wants to it won't be done because he wants people to Consider him to be he's he's at peace with who he is and who he's perceived to be And he doesn't feel like he needs to prove anything which is the best place for him to be because now He'll just make the movies and that's the encouragement just make what you want to make And just enjoy making what you want to make and who cares what anybody else thinks about it really insightful I really like him. It's uh, it's a really insightful review of what he said about he's like if if they made kgf They would be bashed And he's true. He's right. They're not now. I'm talking about kgf But I'm more talking about how bollywood does not have a leash Right at all. Yeah, it's Um, it if it's bad It's gonna be bad and nobody's gonna support it and they don't get any leeway for any kind of mess ups Yeah, as opposed to the other industries their fans are always going to be there and they're going to be rooting for it and They don't really have a people in their industry that are as critical of them as fans of bollywood are True, but there are artists critical people in uh hindi fans that are critical of bollywood and every other industry Yeah, that's true But there are artists who have proven by their work that they don't care about what you think about what they're creating Yeah, zoeya on your ag farhan, which is the p two of those are the people you worked with on less stories and and Yeah, we talked to on your on your ag. He said he's the he actually specifically mentioned karen joe He's like the nicest if you ever need anything you need it, but if you need a friend karen joe hark Yeah, that he's he is genuine with his relationships Uh, I get he I feel like what you see is what you get with him Yeah, I feel like a lot of people don't like that No, a lot of people are are intimidated by that They don't have they themselves don't have the strength of character to be around somebody Who can look you in the eye and they know who they are and they can see right through you Because you're not sure who you are and it becomes very intimidating. Also. I want to shout out to her because yes She's a great interviewer. She's a great interviewer. Really is. Um, surprise Been doing it a long time. Um I feel like she that was a great question like the be honest be honest Does it not give you a power boner to look around the room? And it wasn't there a part of you with it was like I'm gonna do this party so that everybody can see me flex my celebrity muscles And he said no actually and I believe him. I think he was honest. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, who knows man I thought it was great interview of 42 minutes real fast. Uh there so Let us know, uh, what other interviews we can watch and what should be the next karen joe hark film And if you know karen joe hark We we won't we'll do a 40 minute interview. I mean if you want us to talk about your party I guess we can but no we're gonna talk about your film. It's mostly not what we're gonna talk about the party Wait a minute unless we're invited and you pay us and when you've got coke


In his younger days, he earned a reputation as a savage and brutal muscle man, but everything that goes around comes around. And as a result, he is the constant target of those hungry for vengeance. But even that is a game to veg. Hello and welcome to One Piece 101, the series that breaks down every one and every thing in the one piece world.  Veg presents himself as a sophisticated and gentlemanly type of man, often pursuing interest in the areas of fine dining and sleek fashion. As part of this, he places great emphasis on cleanliness and general hygiene, often going so far as to not even be in the same room as an individual who does not meet his own hygienic standards. But with all of that in mind, Veg has a completely different side to him altogether, which is a ruthless, bloodthirsty sadist with interests that include causing as much instability as possible and reveling in the ensuing chaos. And in order to see what I mean by that, we're going to have to travel back in time to the very beginnings of Capone Gang Veg. As a young lad, Veg grew up in West Blue and swiftly became the boss of one of the five families of the West. A series of organized crime groups are controlled underworld operations in West Blue. Veg's preferred method of warfare between these families was to aim directly for the boss, the removal of which would satiate Veg's lust for chaos as he would proceed to watch the struggle resulting from a power vacuum within the family. In terms of achieving these goals, Veg favours planning, tactics and trickery rather than getting into a full blown conflict himself. Using his strategic prowess, Veg is able to take down opponents far more powerful than himself, which makes him a rarity amongst the worst generation, many of whom rely on direct conflict and sheer power to overcome their respective situations. However, obviously these actions made Veg an awful lot of enemies, although he was able to stave them off quite easily due to the power of his devil fruit known as the Shiroshirunomi. This is a Paramecia type fruit that allows its user to become a living fortress, and yes that is as absurd as it sounds. Essentially, Veg's body functions as a fully equipped castle with a range of rooms fit for a king and even features a drawbridge which is cool because I mean everyone loves drawbridges. Furthermore, this fruit is also able to automatically shrink anyone or anything that Veg desires to enter his fortress body, and he can even produce a miniature version of himself within himself, which is weird to think about, but hey, there it is. Veg can also seemingly morph his real body into castle-like features, such as manifesting treads on his lower portion and becoming a tank. However, all of this can also culminate in Veg transforming into a gigantic golem-like fortress known as Big Father, which we'll come back to later. However, for now, Veg's abilities made him essentially unstoppable in the realm of West Blue, and eventually the mafia don became increasingly bored, and so he decided to venture into the Grand Line, converting his mafia family into the fire tank pirates. However, this change in profession did not change his methodology at all, as Veg still favored targeting renowned pirate captains, while sleeving their crews intact, but in a state of sheer chaos. And these actions in the Grand Line would go on to earn Veg a bounty of 138 million berries. Eventually, Veg followed his pathway through the Grand Line to Sabati Archipelago, and he happened to arrive at roughly the same time as 10 other rookie pirates, with bounties over 100 million berries. As a result of this unintentional gathering, Veg, along with the other 10 individuals, were dubbed as the Super Novas. During his time on the Archipelago, Veg came into conflict with Jewelry Bonnie, another of the Super Novas, and was immediately disgusted by her approach to consuming food. Sometime later, Monkey D. Luffy would punch a world noble at the Human Auction House, causing a marine admiral to be summoned to the Archipelago. Immediately after hearing this Veg, knowing that he did not possess the time or strength to defeat an admiral, ordered his men to set sail for Fishman Island, although they were initially blocked by a force of Marines, who weren't on to be dispatched by the fire tank pirates with great ease. After managing to evade capture or conflict, Veg returned to Sabati in order to witness the Paramount War being broadcast, and following the death of Whitebeard, Veg, along with the majority of the Super Novas, entered the new world. And upon arrival in the sea, Veg immediately encountered a large black object in the sky, the nature of which still actually remains a mystery at the time of this recording. During the two-year time skip, Veg and the fire tank pirates entered the territory of Charlotte Lynn Lynn, who was better known as Big Mom, one of the four emperors. Here, Veg was convincingly defeated, and as a result, he chose to ally his crew with the Big Mom pirates. In doing so, Veg married one of Big Mom's daughters, Charlotte Chiffon, and the two even had a son together named Capone Pez. It should also be noted that after becoming a father, Veg's ruthlessness lessened somewhat, and he was instilled with a new sense of mercy. Not a great sense by any means, but a sense nonetheless. Furthermore, he also seemed to genuinely care for his wife Chiffon, and that feeling was certainly mutual, as Chiffon would come to be more loyal to Veg than her own family. However, this did not mean that Veg had consigned himself to a life serving under another. To the contrary, Veg spent his time affiliated with the Big Mom pirates hunting for a weakness in regards to Big Mom herself, so that he could enact a plan to kill her, and after some time, this weakness would be found in the form of the photo of Mother Caramel. In order to make his eventual assassination plot easier, Veg started strategically targeting lesser members of the Big Mom pirates, and one such victim would be the lion mink Peck Holmes, whom Veg attempted to assassinate once on zoe when the two of them were sent to capture Sanji, and a second time in Totland itself. But back to the whole capturing Sanji thing, as a result of bringing this straw hat member to Whole Cake Island, Luffy and a retrieval team had followed them, and despite Veg's initial distaste for Luffy, the two of them would end up forming an alliance to kill their common enemy Big Mom on the eve of Sanji's wedding. However, despite Veg having identified Big Mom's only tangible weakness and an incredible amount of careful planning, the assassination plot would fail, and forced the fire tank pirates to attempt a swift retreat from Whole Cake Chateau. In this effort, Veg was forced to activate Big Father and to his eternal credit, he actually managed to hold off Big Mom long enough for an escape plan to be concocted and put into action. After escaping the Chateau and cutting ties with the straw hats, Veg found himself assisting Sanji, Chiffon and Pudding in their efforts to bake and deliver a cake to Big Mom, which was a series of actions that sprang out of concern for his wife. Aww.  However, Veg would become greatly displeased and global news outlets mainly glorified Luffy's involvement in the incident. Some more fun facts about Capone Gang Veg. Veg's origins in the Five Families of the West Blue are possibly based on the Real Life Five Families, which are the five major crime families controlling the New York underworld. Veg's surname Capone obviously comes from the Real Life 1920s gangster Al Capone, and furthermore, Veg even shares a birthday with Capone, with both of them having been born on January 17th. Veg, along with the other members of the West Generation, were very busy during the two-year time skip, which did result in Veg having his bounty raised to 300 million berries. And finally, a truly useless fact. In addition to fine dining and viewing paintings, one of Veg's most actively pursued hobbies is playing board games. But that pretty much does it for Capone Gang Veg. If you enjoyed this video and the content this channel produces in general, then please do consider donating to the Grand Line Review Patreon because the support of all of you amazing people is what continues to make this channel possible. Also, do check out my Teespring store if you're interested in shirts, hoodies, and other miscellaneous items, but the proceeds are also going to directly support the channel. And if you'd like to join in the fun at any time, then please do head over to my Discord server where a wide array of shenaniganry takes place on a daily basis. And finally, please do comment with who, what, or where you'd like to see featured in the next One Piece 101.