The shooting of Karan Johar’s Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani is complete for the veteran cast Shabana Azmi, Dharmendra and Jaya Bachchan. Now, only Alia Bhatt’s song with Ranveer Singh remains to be shot in Europe. Speaking of the experience Shabana says, “This was my first film with Karan Johar. It was also Dharamji’s first with Karan. We were like the newcomers on the sets. Ranveer and Alia are like Dharma Productions ka bachchas. Jayaji had worked with Karan in several films.”
Shabana Azmi who has worked with directors as diverse as Shyam Benegal and Manmohan Desai, rates Karan very highly. “I am amazed at his understanding of the craft. Karan is a director who knows cinema and understands the dynamics and nuances of filmmaking minutely. He had to direct so many experienced actors in Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani. He knew exactly what he wanted from us.”
For this globally celebrated actress, one of the perks of doing Karan Johar’s film was the glamour quotient. “I’ve spent most of my career wearing cotton sarees. Manish Malhotra has opened up a new world for me. In fact, when I was shooting for Karan’s film in Delhi, I had to attend a wedding right after a day of gruelling shooting. I went in my shooting clothes and jewellery. Manish pleaded to at least let him give me real jewellery. ‘How can you go to a wedding wearing fake jewellery?’ I assured him it would be fine. And it was.”
