An interesting interview with Karan Johar, who has brought us some of the most entertaining Bollywood movies in the past few years (at least according to the diaspora market).
Especially note his "Why be married when I can be happy." Touche?

‘My mom is my Miss World’

KANK was a disappointment in India but it is his largest movie overseas. Now Karan Johar is gearing up for the next season of his chat show Koffee with Karan for Star world, likely to go live early next year.

Were you disappointed by KANK’s performance at the Indian box office?

I must confess I was. But it did more business than Kal Ho Naa Ho all over India. Maybe audiences were shocked with the content, or they didn’t identify with the urban marital reality.

Whatever the reason, yes, it was a disappointment in India. But in overseas market it is my biggest film.

Care to share your Toronto experiences?

They called it Beatle mania-revisited. There were banners for Shah Rukh Khan and Sexy Sam (Amitabh Bachchan).

To have a 2,000-member American-Canadian audience laughing and crying for KANK was quite an experience!

Ok, tell me why did you say no to judging both Jhalak Dikhla Jaa and Nach Baliye?

Jhalak... is a Sony show. And I had contractual issues with STAR. As for Nach Baliye I already had Koffee With Karan on STAR.

To do two TV shows required more hours than I had at my disposal. I already have a large production house to look after and I have to divide my time between making movies and these extra-curricular activities.

And now Koffee With Karan returns. I loved the first season. And I’m looking forward to the second season.

I start shooting in November and we should be on air in December or January.

A glimpse into the guest list?

Well! They are all the people that occurred in the first season -there’s no getting away from the creme de la creme. They make interesting conversation.

People love listening to them. You know it. You interview them every other day. Plus there would be some new guests too.

Like Mallika Sherawat?

There will be lots of film people. But this time I’ll combine them with industrialists, sports personalities and other professionals rather than their colleagues from Bollywood.

I want to keep it chatty, catty and conversational. For a long time we debated on whether we should record the interviews in front of a live audience.

But I thought the lucidity of the lounge chat would be lost in the crowd. I want viewers to enjoy the voyeuristic voyage of rediscovering their favourite stars. We’re even changing the look of the set completely.

Director, actor, producer, model...

I love every role. I unabashedly enjoy my multiple roles and the fact that I can make my movies, stand behind and in front of the camera.

And most of all I love the fact that people come up to me and connect with me. It was a childhood dream to be known.

At 14 I was fat and frumpy and I hoped I’d be someone. I had aspirations to be a journalist. I just wanted to see my byline in the papers.

Don’t you think you’re too gregarious at times?

I cannot put on a brooding intensity just to look like a serious film-maker. I love the attention.

To hell with the privacy. I was born to be in showbiz. I love the fact that I can host a talk show, endorse a product and make movies. I love my life.

What next?

You mean my next film? People ask me if I’m going back to feel-good cinema. But in my head I was never doing the same thing, feel-good or whatever, in my films.

With KANK I didn’t mean to do something path-breaking. If you ask me, Rang De Basanti attempted something path-breaking.

The Oscar nomination is totally deserved. Imagine mixing Bhagat Singh with contemporary issues. Sheer genius! I’ve never put across a single thought on cinema as brave as Rang De...

I believed in KANK. Whether you like it or not is your prerogative. But I felt marriage as an institution was being misused. And I wanted to take a look at that. My job is done.

What about your loneliness of being single?

I love the fact that I’m single. I’ve my mother. She’s my Miss World. Who needs another woman in my life? Why be married when I can be happy.