Shirish Kunder: ´Jaan-e-Mann´ Director Returns With Two New Movies

- Steven Baker           Let us know what you think about this story

'Jaan-e-Mann' featured scenes of its lead actors in Times Square and on Brooklyn Bridge, both de rigueur locations for any Bollywood-meets-the-Big Apple flick.

Cut to 2009, and Shirish reveals he is ready with not one, but two scripts. “I started working on 'Joker' soon after the release of 'Jaan-e-Mann'. It is a Superhero film in the vein of Spiderman,” says Shirish. “I have also written another script, 'Tees Maar Khan'.” Billed as an out-an-out comedy, Shirish confides, “Now that I have finished writing it, I can safely say that it is at least ten times funnier than 'Hangover'.”

Having worked with some of Bollywood’s biggest names in his first outing, Shirish’s latest projects look set to contain more heavyweight star power. Everyone from Shah Rukh to Saif Ali Khan seems to have been in the running as the hero of Joker. Shirish even went on record as saying Akshay Kumar would play the lead. Recently, Kunder’s Facebook status also questioned Who would be a better Superhero - Hrithik Roshan or John Abraham?

Shirish explains, “I was developing 'Joker' for a certain actor, who was also meant to produce it. But during the course of the development, we realized our vision didn't match. Akshay was also attached to the project at one point. But his financials didn't work out.” So where does that leave the director’s sophomore effort? “As of now, I am in the process of finalizing my cast.”

Starting out in the industry as an editor, Shirish brings these skills to the table when he sits in the director’s chair. Every director has his strength and style,” believes Shirish. Looking towards his peers in Hollywood, he states, “Like Tim Burton and Brian de Palma are known for the way they visually style their films, I am a visual director, and will strive to bring something new visually in every film of mine.”

Describing 'Jaan-e-Mann' as “Indian in soul but Western in treatment”, Shirish has one eye on international audiences during the script writing process. “But class, quality stuff is not only required for the overseas market,” the writer director feels, “it is equally important for the Indian multiplex audience as well. They are exposed to the best Hollywood films, most of which now release simultaneously in India. So we need to match up with their technical finesse, which some of our new age directors have already started achieving.”

As well as being a successful film maker in his own right, Shirish is widely recognized as husband of ace choreographer and director Farah Khan, who was behind SRK’s six pack look in 'Om Shanti Om'. Farah also supplied the Bollywood moves for Shakira to shake her hips at the 2006 MTV awards at Radio City Music Hall. Shirish first met Farah when working as editor on her blockbuster 'Main Hoon Na', and they are now proud parents of triplets.

Shirish does not feel he and Farah would go head to head and release films on the same Friday,“I don't think that's a possibility. We won't be making our films at the same time. One of us needs to be with the kids at any given time.” Father to Czar, Diva and Anya, Shirish has not yet worked out if they have inherited their parents’ filmi tendencies, “They are just 1 year old. Let’s wait and watch.”

(Steven Baker is a UK writer who divides his time between London, Delhi, and Mumbai. Best known for his writing on the Hindi film industry, his work regularly appears in a range of Indian, NRI, and international publications. Steven Baker is presently the bo-ordinator of the British Council's Creative Writing course in New Delhi. He has also appeared in 15 Bollywood films).

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