It’s an exciting time at Dharma Productions these days. The office is buzzing with energy and enthusiasm. I love it! We’re in the midst of producing 5 films, which is a first for us. Needless to say, fear, anxiety and restlessness are now part of my life. I’m not complaining, this is what I wanted for my production house after all. My father built Dharma from the ground up and it’s been my dream and passion to take it to a much higher level. Last night I sat down to write this blog. It’s been a stressful week so I couldn’t think of anything clever, witty or interesting to say. I was going through what you might call a blogger’s block. I kept thinking of all the work I have pending on my table and all the creative juices that needed to flow. So I thought this week instead of sharing my thoughts with you I would share my workload. So, here goes:

Dostana is releasing on November the 14th. It’s being directed by my assistant, Tarun Mansukhani. Tarun has a tremendous flair for comedy and is genuinely a funny guy. He’s been fiercely loyal to Dharma, and loyalty is rare, especially in an exceptionally opportunistic environment. We all love him and hope his first film flies at the box office. The music will be out on the 30th of September. If I may say, Vishal and Shekhar have outdone themselves. What they’ve delivered is a foot tapping, melody filled album that I hope you like. Let me know what you think of the music when it’s out.

Our next film to go on the floors is tentatively titled Wake up Sid! It’s being directed by Ayan Mukerji (yes, for those inquisitive ones, he is Kajol and Rani’s cousin). He’s 24 and super bright. He assisted me on Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna and has written an extremely charming screenplay. It’s a coming of age meets a slice of life film. The casting is unusual and perfect for the narrative; Ranbir Kapoor and Konkona Sen Sharma. It should be out summer 2009. Give us your feed back on the title, Wake Up Sid! I would love that.

Rensil D’ Silva, the screenplay writer of Rang De Basanti is directing a thriller for us that should be out autumn of 2009. It’s a story idea I’ve had for years, and Rensil has written an exceptional screenplay. It’s his first feature as a director, though he has a tremendous body of advertising film work behind him. The principal cast comprises of Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, and Vivek Oberoi. It’s an edge of your seats thriller with global terrorism as a backdrop. And that’s all I’m saying about that for now!

Koochie Koochie Hota Hai is Dharma’s foray into the animation world. We’re co-producing the film with Prana (a seasoned animation house.) The film has the soul and narrative of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, it just belongs to a different world; an animal world devoid of any human inhabitants. The core love story is between three dogs, and the supporting cast has roosters, bears, pigs, cats, and many others from the barn. Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol and Rani essay the voices for “Rocky”, “Angie”, and “Tina” respectively, (minor tweaks on the original names.) It’s being directed, again, by Tarun Mansukhani, who also assisted me on Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. It would be interesting to see his animated interpretation of my debut film. Potential release date: late summer of 2009.

My Name is Khan goes on the floors in November of this year. The film is going to be shot extensively in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington, and Mumbai. If all goes well, we should be out late next year. What do I say about it? At the heart of it, it’s a love story. At the soul of it, it makes a social comment, and at the whole of it, it’s a human triumph tale.

All your good wishes and energy will truly help the karma at Dharma. Please keep it coming, every word of support counts. It's a full plate, and it’s never looked more appetising. I’m going back to work now, I’m feeling much better. Lighter.

Love and koffee,

Karan

p.s. I’m going to be travelling extensively for the pre production work for My Name is Khan, so my blog postings might be a tad irregular. Bear with me, and don’t stop commenting. Thank you for listening…

[For more, you can visit http://www.mynameiskaran.com]