Karan Johar says if content is king, writers are emperors

Filmmaker-producer Karan Johar, who is gearing up for his upcoming venture ‘Kill’, has called writers the soul of a film.

After attending the trailer launch of ‘Kill’ along with co-producer Guneet Monga, and actors Lakshya, Tanya Maniktala, and Raghav Juyal on Wednesday, Karan Johar said, “If content is the king, writers are the emperors.

"The film industry functions because a writer pens a script and takes it to the makers. If the writer is the director of the film that he or she has written, it’s a glorious combination. The foundation of any movie is the story... A story has to work for all departments to function properly."

‘Kill’ is dubbed as the most violent film from India, taking over the reins from Anurag Kashyap, who is known for his use of gut-squirming violence in his films.

Incidentally, the film is co-produced by Oscar-winning producer Guneet, a frequent collaborator of Kashyap.

'Kill' marks the reunion of Guneet and Karan after 11 years with their last co-production being the critically-acclaimed Cannes return, 'The Lunchbox'.

Karan said violence in cinema demands to be looked upon as an art form, adding that films that use violence as a tool belong to a specific genre and have a very niche audience with a palette for such content.

He also spoke about the huge cost incurred by the producers because of the superstars in the industry.

“Trust me, entourage costs are the least of the worries for the producers. The real trouble is the cost of a superstar. Sometimes a producer caves into their demands just because he or she wants to make that film.

"But many times it becomes practically impossible to accommodate that cost. There can be a break up of sorts on the cost of actors or they can take profits in slabs as per the performance of the film, but many stars need to reconsider their costs because a lot of them are not in touch with reality,” Karan told the media.