Karan's Dostana set for an October release

Ace filmmaker Karan Johar gets candid with Diganta Guha on his forthcoming film Dostana, Shah Rukh Khan's Knight Riders and more.

If Shah Rukh Khan is on a mission, Karan Johar is sure to be by his side who turned up at the Eden Gardens to loudly cheer SRK's team Kolkata Knight Riders.

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As we caught up with Johar in his hotel, however, he made one thing very clear: "I am one of those rare people in this country who is not obsessed with cricket."

Okay, now we know that the SRK factor is the only reason he's here.

"This is my first time at the Eden Gardens. I have never been there before," he says. But Johar knows what to expect in the game between the Knight Riders and the Deccan Chargers because he was in Bangalore for the opening match of the IPL and loved it.

"It was great, a fantastic feeling to watch all the fun and games. So if I enjoyed myself in Bangalore, I can only assume that Eden Gardens, being the Knight Riders' home ground, things will only get better," he says.

"Just think of all the highs and lows and the drama associated with each match and you get the picture," he says.

Add to it the entertainment factor which is where Bollywood steps in, adds Johar, who was in Kolkata in the company of actors like Vivek Oberoi and Riteish Deshmukh, and designer Manish Malhotra among others.

So we have to ask the inevitable question: will he make a film on cricket?

"No. I told you I don't follow the game. To make a film on cricket one has to outdo Ashutosh Gowariker and

Lagaan

," says Johar, who has two films coming up —

Dostana

starring John Abraham, Priyanka Chopra, and Abhishek Bachchan, and Khan.

"The shooting for

Dostana

has begun in Miami. And we will be coming back for a 40-day schedule in India. Hopefully it will be ready for release in October-November this year," he says.

And what about Khan?

"We are still undecided on the title, but shooting should start in November," says Johar. Watch this space for more.