Shirish Kunder and Farah Khan
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• Meet the man whom Farah Khan will wed

Shirish Kunder's directorial debut Jaan-e-Mann did not set the box office on fire, but Farah Khan's [Images] husband has plenty of reason to smile.

After all, he has a Joker on his plate!

Shirish had first approached Farah's best friend Shah Rukh Khan [Images] for his new film, Joker. But the superstar backed out, and now, we have Shirish's favourite actor Akshay Kumar [Images] stepping in.

But that's not the only reason why Shirish can't stop smiling. The young director, who fell in love with his wife on the sets of her directorial debut, Main Hoon Na, is expecting Farah's and his first child very shortly.

In conversation with Trans World Features correspondent Vickey Lalwani, Shirish tells us more.

Congrats! You're becoming a father soon.

Thank you. Yes, it's true. Farah and I are very excited about it.

When is your next film Joker starting?

The pre-production work on Joker has already started. It will go on the floors in early 2009, and the entire film will be shot in a single stretch. It is a very ambitious venture being made on a mammoth scale. Because of the scale and nature of the film, and all the intricate work involved, we are dedicating a decent amount of time for pre-production. The film is high on visual-fx and stylised AXN sequences. We intend to set some technical benchmarks with this film. We are working on a quite an innovative style of visual treatment for the film. Somewhat like Spider-Man meets 300.

Acquiring the title Joker itself has been an interesting journey...

Yeah. The title was in possession of Ratan Jain. When I spoke to him, he graciously gave me the consent to use the title. But even before I could start celebrating, I learnt that Vashu Bhagnani and Vikas Mohan had also applied for the same title. So I needed their consent as well.

When I spoke to them, both of them let me use the title. Now thanks to all three of them, I am finally free to call my film Joker.

It was reported that you have tied up with a corporate house for the film?

I haven't tied up with any corporate house yet, but yes, there are plans to do so.

What is Joker about? 

Joker is a superhero AXN film. The film deals with global warming and its consequences but in a very entertaining manner, not in a preachy way. Right from the conception, Joker has been planned as a trilogy. Joker 2 and 3 will follow.

Wasn't Joker going to be your first film actually?

Yes. I had first worked on the idea of a superhero film in 2003. But at that time, for a newcomer to sell the idea of a superhero film was a distant dream.

Rakesh Roshan has opened the doors for this genre by making Krrish [Images]. So now I am going ahead with my dream project after four years of its initial conception. Also, now that I have done Jaan-e-man and people have seen it, people take my vision and conviction more seriously.

Who is doing the central role in Joker?

Akshay Kumar has been finalised to play the title role of the Superhero Joker. The character needs an actor who is not only brilliant in action, but also adept in comedy. Akshay suits the role to perfection. Also, I share an extremely good working equation with Akshay and am very comfortable with him.

Who else is in the lead cast?

The lead cast will include another actor, to be cast in a negative role. It is a very challenging role, so it needs a brilliant actor. And a major female lead needs to be cast opposite Akshay.

SRK [Images] is not doing it. You had a fall-out with him?

Shah Rukh and I have had no fall-out, no showdown. He has already clarified on this and I second it.

Were you satisfied with the reviews and collections of Jaan-e-Mann?

Not really. But then the reviews and collections do not take into consideration the conditions under which the film is made. The experience has made me stronger, wiser and capable of working against any odds. 

Now with Joker, I intend to achieve onscreen what I have actually conceived without any compromises, and showcase the kind of work that I am truly capable of.

What is your gut feeling about Farah's upcoming film Om Shanti Om?

It is a sure-shot winner. Blockbuster!