All posts tagged: Nikkhil Advani

Nikkhil Advani open to Shah Rukh Khan-Saif Ali Khan romance in Kal Ho Naa Ho remake | Bollywood News

Nikkhil Advani open to Shah Rukh Khan-Saif Ali Khan romance in Kal Ho Naa Ho remake | Bollywood News

Published by Webster

More than 20 years after making his directorial debut with Kal Ho Naa Ho, filmmaker Nikkhil Advani believes parts of the film would be viewed very differently by today’s audiences. Advani, who has also directed films such as Salaam-e-Ishq, D-Day and Batla House, said he would not be able to “get away” with the film’s ending if it were made today. He also suggested that a contemporary remake could explore a romantic relationship between its male leads, Aman and Rohit. Speaking about changing social attitudes, Advani said younger viewers often interpret Kal Ho Naa Ho differently from audiences who watched it upon release in 2003. The filmmaker recalled that his own daughter was uncomfortable with the way the film treated Kantaben’s homophobic assumptions about Aman and Rohit’s relationship as a running joke. “It was a bromance,” Advani told Mid-day while talking about the dynamic between Aman and Rohit, portrayed by Shah Rukh Khan and Saif Ali Khan. ‘I will never be able to get away with that ending’ He added that, in his mind, the …

‘You’ll make Kal Ho Naa Ho again’: Irrfan Khan refused D-Day, accepted only when Anurag Kashyap said ‘Nikkhil Advani behak gaya tha’ | Bollywood News

‘You’ll make Kal Ho Naa Ho again’: Irrfan Khan refused D-Day, accepted only when Anurag Kashyap said ‘Nikkhil Advani behak gaya tha’ | Bollywood News

Published by Webster

4 min readMumbaiFeb 4, 2026 07:50 PM IST Those eyes. Those bloody eyes of Irrfan Khan. That line, by itself, says everything about the talent the late legend possessed. One could go on counting the many performances where his eyes shone the brightest, moments where they spoke before words ever could. And yet, not many would include Nikkhil Advani’s highly underrated D-Day in that list, where, once again, his eyes shocked, disarmed, evaded, and confounded, and in doing so, moved you. What makes it even more compelling is the knowledge that despite how extraordinary he was in the film, he almost rejected it. He was unsure of Advani’s capabilities as a director, uncertain whether he could helm a no-nonsense spy actioner. In an exclusive conversation with SCREEN, Advani revealed Irrfan’s initial reaction upon hearing the script. “Irrfan kept telling me, ‘Yaar, tu Kal Ho Naa Ho banayega toh. Kal Ho Naa Ho ke jaise beech mein gaane daalega. Itna achha script hai, tu yeh sab kar dega uss mein.’” (You’ll make it like Kal Ho …

Kabhie Khushi Kabhie Gham’s entire budget was spent on making ‘Bole Chudiyan’, says Nikkhil Advani: ‘Yash Johar made us sit with him’ | Bollywood News

Kabhie Khushi Kabhie Gham’s entire budget was spent on making ‘Bole Chudiyan’, says Nikkhil Advani: ‘Yash Johar made us sit with him’ | Bollywood News

Published by Webster

Nikkhil Advani, who began his career with Yash Johar’s production house Dharma Productions, recently reminisced about the late producer and his unmatched passion for filmmaking. Nikkhil, who made his directorial debut with Kal Ho Naa Ho after assisting Karan Johar on Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, recalled an anecdote that perfectly captured Yash’s love for cinema. Speaking about K3G, Nikkhil revealed that the film’s initial budget was pegged at just Rs 3 crore—but that entire amount was spent on filming the song “Bole Chudiyan” alone. In a conversation with Radio Nasha, Nikkhil said, “These days, people make budgets on spreadsheets. They take nearly two months to finalise them. But when we narrated the script of Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham to Yash Johar, he called me to his office and asked me to write the budget. I wrote Rs 3 crore. It was approved, and we were told to begin the film.” He continued, “Our very first set was for Bole Chudiyan. Karan Johar fainted on set. Kajol had issues with her …

Freedom at Midnight Season 2 review: Nikkhil Advani unravels the chaos of Partition in masterful, sensitive storytelling

Freedom at Midnight Season 2 review: Nikkhil Advani unravels the chaos of Partition in masterful, sensitive storytelling

Published by Parlour News

Freedom at Midnight Season 2 review Cast: Sidhant Gupta, Chirag Vohra, Rajendra Chawla, Luke McGibney, Cordelia Bugeja, Arif Zakaria, Pawan Chopra, Ira Dubey, Rajesh Kumar, Abhishek Banerjee, KC Shankar, Anurag Thakur Creator: Nikkhil Advani Rating: ★★★★ Freedom at Midnight has often been compared to The Crown, Peter Morgan’s definitive series on the British royal family, which changed the way modern history is depicted in fiction. However, to be fair to Freedom at Midnight, it tackles a much more challenging task – showcasing the historical figures of the subcontinent who are revered as demigods and despised as villains almost simultaneously. Taking any one tone puts the whole enterprise at risk of being branded biased. Freedom at Midnight Season 2 review: The series stars Sidhant Gupta, Chirag Vohra, and Rajendra Chawla. This is the line the second season of Nikkhil Advani’s show takes. It is detailed, audacious, meticulous, yet sensitive. It takes the viewer into rooms and conversations that we have only read about in history and figures we have only read of or seen in monochrome …

Nikkhil Advani wears Freedom at Midnight’s The Crown comparisons like a ‘badge of honour’: We had 1/100th the budget

Nikkhil Advani wears Freedom at Midnight’s The Crown comparisons like a ‘badge of honour’: We had 1/100th the budget

Published by Parlour News

The first season of Freedom at Midnight did not earn acclaim just in India, but was praised overseas, too. Many international commentators and Indian viewers drew comparisons with Netflix’s iconic show, The Crown, in how the Nikkhil Advani show presented history in the form of engaging drama. Arif Zakaria as Jinnah and Sidhant Gupta as Nehru in Freedom at Midnight. Nikkhil Advani on Freedom at Midnight Nikkhil Advani, himself, welcomes the comparisons, but is also quick to point out that the scale of Freedom at Midnight is much smaller. In an exclusive conversation with HT before the release of the show’s second season, Nikkhil says, “We got 100th the budget (as compared to The Crown). So, if that comparison is there, I’m very proud of it. I’m very grateful to my cinematographer, production designer, editor and producers. I wear it (the comparison) as a badge of honour.” Freedom at Midnight follows the founding fathers of India and Pakistan from 1945-48 as they navigate the British crown’s departure from the Indian subcontinent and the subsequent Partition. …

Nikkhil Advani defends Jinnah’s elitist portrayal in Freedom at Midnight: ‘Took to religion only to become Quaid e Azam’

Nikkhil Advani defends Jinnah’s elitist portrayal in Freedom at Midnight: ‘Took to religion only to become Quaid e Azam’

Published by Parlour News

Nikkhil Advani’s Freedom at Midnight is concluding its run with the upcoming second season, which premieres on SonyLiv later this month. The first season earned acclaim for its production values and performances, particularly that of Arif Zakaria, who plays Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Pakistan’s father of the nation. Arif Zakaria as Muhammad Ali Jinnah in Freedom at Midnight. While many in India remarked about how accurately Zakaria portrayed Jinnah, across the border, critics and viewers criticised their Quaid-e-Azam’s depiction, claiming he was portrayed as too ‘snobbish and elitist’. Ahead of the release of season 2, creator Nikkhil Advani addressed this criticism and doubled down on his depiction of Jinnah. Nikkhil Advani on Jinnah Talking about how the criticism that Jinnah is portrayed as ‘too elitist’ on the show, Nikkhil said, “I find it a joke because he took to Islam and religion only because he wanted to become Quaid-e-Azam. I mean, he was a whiskey-drinking, sausage-eating, South Bombay elitist. Jinnah had become possibly one of the most powerful voices in the legal system in India in …

Web series to watch on Netflix, Amazon Prime and other OTT platforms

Web series to watch on Netflix, Amazon Prime and other OTT platforms

Published by Parlour News

Lupin Season Four This captivating Netflix series will come back to the streaming service to delight viewers with its latest season. The narrative will continue from where it left off in Season 3. Assane Diop was apprehended for the theft of the Black Pearl. Season 4 will carry on this narrative. The series will be accessible for streaming on Netflix beginning January 1st. Freedom at Midnight Season 2 This series debuted on November 15th of the previous year. The narrative and characters garnered extensive affection from viewers, and the series was positively embraced. Created by Nikhil Advani, the series will make its comeback with a new season, streaming on SonyLIV from January 9th. The second season will illustrate the harsh consequences of the India-Pakistan partition. Taskaree: The Smuggler’s Web Emraan Hashmi is poised to make waves on OTT with his upcoming series. The reveal of this new series has already provided fans with a New Year’s present, and viewers are excitedly anticipating it. The series teaser is out, showcasing Emraan Hashmi in the role of …

Abhishek Banerjee’s Film Stolen To Release On OTT In June

Abhishek Banerjee’s Film Stolen To Release On OTT In June

Published by Parlour News

Stolen, a new film starring Abhishek Banerjee, has been announced today. The investigative crime thriller is backed by an acclaimed team of executive producers, Anurag Kashyap, Kiran Rao, Nikkhil Advani and Vikramaditya Motwane. It marks the directorial debut of Karan Tejpal and is produced by Gaurav Dhingra for Jungle Book Studio. The movie follows the journey of two urbane brothers who witness a baby being kidnapped from an impoverished mother at a railway station in rural India. One brother, guided by moral duty, convinces the other to help the mother and join an investigation to find the child. Besides Banerjee, it stars Harish Khanna, Mia Maelzer, Sahidur Rahaman and Shubham. Stolen will premiere exclusively on Prime Video on June 4. Stolen was screened at the Venice Film Festival 2023, where it earned a standing ovation. The film went on to have a remarkable festival run, earning acclaim and accolades across the globe. At the Beijing International Film Festival, it won Best Director, Best Cinematography, and Best Actress. At Japan’s Skip City International D-Cinema Festival, it …

Anurag Kashyap left flabbergasted as Sona Mohapatra unleashes tirade against male gaze in his films, accuses him of not promoting her song | Bollywood News

Anurag Kashyap left flabbergasted as Sona Mohapatra unleashes tirade against male gaze in his films, accuses him of not promoting her song | Bollywood News

Published by Parlour News

Director Anurag Kashyap and singer Sona Mohapatra, who’ve collaborated on a song for his film Raman Raghav 2.0 in the past, had a tense exchange at an event recently. Attending the Synapse Conclave on artificial intelligence, Sona took several digs at Anurag, accusing him of not promoting her song “Qatl-e-Aam,” and critising his movies. She said that she appreciates Anurag’s writing, but can’t abide by his filmmaking, which, she said, is marked by a ‘male gaze’. Also present at the panel were filmmakers Nikkhil Advani and Vikramaditya Motwane, who had brief exchanges with the singer as well. At one point, she reminded Nikkhil of an argument they had, that she claimed to have won. “You win them all,” he said in response. “I want to say something to Anurag,” she began, speaking over everyone else. She continued, “I have observed your journey, and been a huge fan of you as a writer. Not too fond of your films, and the gali-galoch and the male gaze… But I’m a fan, nevertheless. You’re an artist. You’re one …

Exclusive| Not Delhi, not Race 4; here’s where Saif Ali Khan is shooting his next as he returns to work

Exclusive| Not Delhi, not Race 4; here’s where Saif Ali Khan is shooting his next as he returns to work

Published by Webster

Mar 08, 2025 05:02 PM IST HT City gets a clarification from producer Ramesh Taurani and multiple sources about actor Saif Ali Khan’s next film.  Amid the barrage of rumours around actor Saif Ali Khan’s next, HT City has got a clarification from the horse’s mouth. Saif Ali Khan A report claimed earlier today that the actor is shooting in Delhi for a project. However, our sources deny, “Saif is shooting for a film, yes, but not in Delhi. He’s in Pataudi, Gurugram.” Interestingly, Saif is the Nawab of Pataudi. The said report had further suggested that director Nikkhil Advani is filming the Saif film, but another source denies, “Nikkhil is in Mumbai.” When we further probe whether it’s Race 4 that the actor is shooting for then, we get a denial from its producer Ramesh Taurani. He confirms Saif being a part of it though, “We start the shoot for Race 4 towards the end of 2025.” The mystery project Saif is shooting in Pataudi marks his return to full-time shoot after the horrific …