Karan Johar is shooting the last song of KANK with Amitabh Bachchan & Abhishek Bachchan at Yashraj Studios. HE takes time off to speak To Subhash K Jha.

Q: How was IIFA?
A: Wonderful. It's so gratifying to see how far Indian cinema has traveled. I did a mock-segment of my talk show Koffee With Karan which returns on Star World this October.

Q: Anil Kapoor said he'd like to see you and Shah Rukh Khan in Brokeback Mountain?
A: It was in fun. I had a sense of humour about it. Why not others? What Anil said was very funny and I laughed it off. Anil and his wife Sunita are dear friends. I can never take offence to him. There's so much self-deprecating humour at the awards functions in the West. Why not here? I took Anil's remark in the right spirit.

Q: Which song are you shooting now?
A: It's the Rock n roll track. And we're shooting it at the film-temple Yashraj Studios. It was pending because it needed Amitji. It features him and Abhishek. Otherwise I've completed the entire film. We'll be shooting this song for ten days.

It's huge song on a huge set choreographed by of course Farah Khan. It's a big item song. The two Bachchans are jamming it up in the song. It'll rock 'n' roll.

Q: Are you rocking and rolling?
A: I don't even rock and roll in my sleep. I hardly touch the pillow and I'm gone. My heart is rocking with nervousness and my head is rolling with pressure. I'm an internal mess.

Q: The Kabhi Alvidaa score has been released to mixed reports...
A: So what's new? It happens every time my film or soundtrack comes out. The music has gone to no.1 across-the-board. I had the same experience with my other soundtracks. They said K3G wasn't as good as Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and that Kal Ho Na Ho wasn't as good as K3G.

Now KANK's music is being compared unfavourably with KHNH.... The flak will settle down. Real music lovers will finally come forward. Those who are trying to pick holes will vanish. The music has energy and soul.

Q: How do you compare Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's efforts here with Kal Ho Na Ho?
I'm not much into comparisons. But there were more item songs in KHNH. Every film has its own rhythm and melody. Why do we have this terrible penchant for comparisons? For Heaven's sake, you can't compare Black to Devdas. They come from different mind-sets and they're both great films.

Q: How much did you participate in the creation of the songs?
A: For me music is an integral part of not just my life, but my life as a filmmaker. I can't imagine Hindi cinema without songs. I only listen to Hindi film songs. Creatively I live in the moment. And the moment describes the music that I do.

The order of the day is fusion music. We've to hold on to our roots and yet imbibe all that we want from the West.

Today's music has to be accessible to the youth. Some of us are doing the fusion in an aesthetic way. I'd like to think that the fusion in a track like Mitwa is aesthetic. I like the fusion concept as long as it's done decently.

Q: Does the music of KANK reflect its NY setting?
A: Not at all. Even if the film was set in Mumbai, Delhi or Kolkata the music would be exactly the same.

Q: You've a Pakistani singer in the film?
A: Yes Shafqat Amanat Ali from the band Fuson. I heard their song Aankhon ke sagar and I immediately wanted Shafqat to sing for me. Shankar and I decided to let him do the Mitwa track. He can reach the highest note without straining.