Writer Karan Razdan has recently criticised filmmaker Karan Johar as he claimed he was offered just Rs 25 lakh for the script of Aamir Khan and Juhi Chawla’s shelved film Time Machine.
Recalling the incident in an interview with Bollywood Hungama, Razdan said the offer did not reflect the scale of the ambitious project and also expressed disappointment that Johar never met him in person.
“Sona kharidne aaye ho ya pital kharidne aaye ho? Yeh toh samjho ki kya de raha hoon main aapko? (Are you here to buy gold or brass? At least understand the value of what I’m offering you),” Razdan said while speaking about the offer.
‘I Was Told I’ll Be Offered Rs 25 Lakh’
Razdan recalled that Shekhar Kapu who was set to direct Time Machine, had asked him to get in touch with Jugal Hansraj, who was then looking after Dharma Productions’ story department.
“Jugal Hansraj was looking after the story department in Dharma. Shekhar had spoken to Jugal and the former told me to meet the latter,” he said.
But the meeting never happened.
“But Jugal said that it won’t be possible as Karan likes to read the script. Then I was told that I’ll be offered Rs 25 lakh.”
Razdan also questioned why Johar did not meet him despite Shekhar Kapur’s involvement in the project.
“Karan Johar didn’t even come face to face. Also, let’s not forget that Shekhar is also involved. This is basic courtesy,” he added.
He further revealed that producers including Firoz Nadiadwala and Rajkumar Santoshi had also shown interest in reviving Time Machine but the film never took off for different reasons.
What Made Time Machine So Ambitious?
Years after the film was shelved, veteran art director Bijon Das Gupta revealed that one of the story’s biggest highlights saw Aamir Khan’s character travelling back to the Mahabharata era and witnessing Lord Krishna’s conversation with Arjun.
Sharing more details, Razdan said, “The character doesn’t know how to operate the time machine. Woh machine ko leke udd jaata hai. He lands in the past. When he wakes up, he hears sounds of war. He looks down and sees a fierce battle going on. Lord Krishna happens to see him. The protagonist asks the lord, ‘Yeh kya ho raha hai?’. Lord Krishna replies, ‘Mahabharat ladi ja rahi hai’! He is astonished, ‘Oh, this is Mahabharat!’.”
He added that Aamir’s character was driven by the desire to reunite with his parents.
“He wanted to meet his mother and father. Paresh Rawal and Rohini Hattangadi play his chacha chachi. N D Balraj and Gulshan Grover were their sons and were princes. They used to mistreat the protagonist, and he was the servant.”
The Story Was Inspired By A Personal Loss
Razdan said the idea for Time Machine emerged while he and Shekhar Kapur were coping with the loss of their parents.
“Shekhar Kapur lost his mother while I lost my father within six months of each other. This is when we were working on Dushmani. We were sitting and we expressed the desire to meet our deceased parents one more time. This is where Shekhar got the idea of Time Machine and we developed it. Within just 3 months, I wrote the story, screenplay and dialogues. Shekhar was so charged that he got Laxmikant Pyarelal on board. I narrated the idea to them and later also to Anand Bakshi saab at his residence. I also narrated to the entire cast comprising Aamir, Paresh Rawal and others.”
Razdan also recalled a humourous exchange with Paresh Rawal during the narration.
“Paresh told me, ‘Climax narration ke waqt mujhe nikalna padega.’ I asked him the reason. He replied, ‘Jiska climax sunn liya, woh picture chalti nahin hai’! He believed in it. I immediately told him, ‘Toh fir bhaag, mere baap’! After the narration was over, everyone was charged.”
Apart from Aamir Khan and Juhi Chawla, veteran actor Rekha was also part of Time Machine. Earlier this year, during the Aamir Khan Productions’ 25th anniversary celebration, she expressed regret over never being able to complete the film.
