Karan Johar slams ‘herd mentality’ as he talks about Pushpa, Chhaava, Stree 2 success; addresses spy universe craze and asks, “How will I stand out if I copy?” - EXCLUSIVE

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Karan Johar is known for his candour, and in a recent conversation with Bollywood Hungama, the filmmaker once again shared some hard-hitting insights - this time on the current state of storytelling in the Hindi film industry. From genre fatigue to the obsession with cinematic universes, Johar didn’t hold back in expressing his views on why originality should be celebrated, not sidelined. “I think it's everybody grappling to do what others are doing. I think herd mentality. So, we see Pushpa running and catering so strongly to the tier two and tier three audiences. Suddenly there'll be 20 others wanting to do the same. You see Chhaava working, and everybody will want to make historical dramas! After Stree, everybody wants to make horror comedies. Those worked because they were individually strong, and there was no other option in that genre. And it was a unique thought that made those films work. We all have individual thoughts that are unique to ourselves,” Karan told Bollywo...
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And Then Come the Nightjars review – farmer and vet at centre of drama of rural life

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This screen adaptation of Bea Roberts’s play has a compelling concept but yields disappointing results

Based on a play – a painfully obvious fact given the stiltedness of the dialogue – by Bea Roberts, this small-scale British drama revolves almost entirely around two characters who are followed over a number of years. The early scenes, set in 2001, establish the affectionate friendship between Devon dairy farmer Michael (David Fielder), recently widowed and judging by the beard eligible for a pension soon, and local veterinarian Jeff (Nigel Hastings), a younger man with a budding drink problem.

When foot-and-mouth disease reaches their neck of the moors, Jeff is compelled to put down Michael’s entire herd according to governmental guidelines. Michael tries to resist with an unloaded shotgun and some choice curse words aimed at the ministerial enforcers who accompany Jeff, but there’s no stopping the forces of change. As the years pass, agriculture itself comes under threat in a rural economy increasingly skewing towards offering hospitality for wealthy visitors who want to capture sunsets on Instagram rather than see where their meat and milk comes from.

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