Shashank Khaitan on SOTY 2, Kalank failure: Audiences are making their choices clear; nobody will be forgiven

Dharma Productions’ blue-eyed director Shashank Khaitan shared his views on the negative response Karan Johar’s last two productions, Kalank and Student Of The Year 2 received. He asserted that such debacles teach us a lot about the audience’s choice. “I think it’s a learning experience because we’re creative people and when we put out something out there, we’re always open to criticism and praise, both. I think the audiences are making their will clear about what they want to watch. Now, nobody is going to be forgiven”. He further added, “You cannot sell (the viewers) anything in the name of a star cast. Having said that, our intentions with Kalank or SOTY 2 were pure. We just want to entertain people. Sometimes you make good films, sometimes things don’t work out the way you planned but that’s a learning experience.” [caption id=“attachment_6501821” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Ananya Panday, Tara Sutaria and Tiger Shroff in Student of the Year 2. Image from Twitter[/caption] Shashank has helmed the popular Dulhaniya series (Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhaniya and Badrinath Ki Dulhaniya). Both the movies were loved by the audience. On being asked about a possible third instalment, Khaitan said: “We want to work on it (on Dulhaniya series). Currently, I’m working on 2 other scripts. The Dulhaniya series is something which is very close to our heart, especially Varun, Alia, Karan and me. We want to do something but we are waiting for a good story and then we will work on the film,” he continued, “It takes a lot to create a good franchise. We should not ruin it just to make money. When we do come up with a third part for the Dulhaniya series, it should be something backed by the story and not just to add another movie in the franchise.” Shashank’s last directorial was Sairat’s remake Dhadak (2018) and now he will be seen judging Dance Deewane season 2 along with Madhuri Dixit and Tushar Kalia. Talking about judging the contestants, the director shared his parameters, “When I direct a film, I always look out for honesty. It’s okay if the shot is not perfect but it should click emotionally. When I’m judging contestants, I look for the same quality; for me, the performance should be emotionally satisfying.” Khaitan also addressed his attempt to get into the digital world and the differences he has noticed between films and web series. “I’ve been very excited about the medium. Recently, I saw Delhi Crime and was blown away by it. I’m collaborating with writers to develop something for digital. It’s a new medium for me because all my training is film related. So I’m trying to learn the art, understand how you write one season and 10 episodes differently. Hopefully, in the near future, I will also be able to contribute to that medium.”