Nikkhil Advani says he is ‘dying to make a Kal Ho Naa Ho’ post fall out with Karan Johar, recalls Irrfan’s advice that changed his outlook towards cinema

Filmmaker Nikkhil Advani, who began his career as an assistant director under Sudhir Mishra and later directed Dharma Productions’ Kal Ho Naa Ho, recently discussed blending the best elements of Sudhir and Karan Johar’s worlds in his films. He also shared how late actor Irrfan Khan changed his approach towards cinema.

Reflecting on his experiences with Sudhir and Karan and merging their cinematic worlds, Nikkhil told Rajshri Unplugged, “Heart of hearts I think I am closer to Sudhir. He has an idiom, a language that I am closer to than Karan. But I am dying to make a Salaam-e-Ishq or Kal Ho Naa Ho again. When I do a scene that needs a certain level of scale, I think of Karan. And I am not talking about the visual scale, I am talking about the emotional scale. The marriage between Sudhir’s realism with Karan’s drama is what I am very proud of that is evident in my films like D-Day and Mumbai Diaries.”

Nikkhil and Karan had a fallout after they worked together in Kal Ho Naa Ho. Earlier in the same interview, the filmmaker had revealed that the two didn’t speak to each other after the film’s release.

Nikkhil Advani credited Irrfan Khan for changing the way he looks at cinema. Sharing his experience of working with the actor in D Day, he said, “In case of D Day. I had nothing to lose. I was already at the bottom of the barrel. The only way was up, so I didn’t compromise on anything. Also, Irrfan changed the way I approach cinema. On the first day, I was giving directions to my AD and Irrfan told me, ‘You have written a good script. He is a good AD. I am a good actor. You just do one thing – Tu monitor pe padhke maze le (You sit on the monitor and enjoy).’ That ‘maze le’ became important for me in my career. If I am not having fun, then what I am doing.”

Nikkhil’s upcoming film Vedaa stars John Abraham and Sharvari in THE lead roles. Set for release in theaters on July 12, the film marks a reunion between John and Nikkhil after collaborations such as Salaam-e-Ishq and Batla House. The makers recently unveiled the movie’s first look.