Not only does Samir's character reflect some traits of Karan but he also apes his style of dressing. However Soni says, "Well, the character dresses like Karan and is also the most famous romantic film maker in the country but I am not playing Karan in IHLS. In fact, you might see traces of some other famous directors."
Natural assumption
Punit has assisted Karan on Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna and it is natural to assume that he has envisioned Sameer's character act like that.
Malhotra begs to differ, "It isn't based on Karan, but is Soni's take on what the character should be. If you find any traces of Karan, then that's the viewers take not mine. In fact KJo had read the script and has even watched the film, but he didn't observe any such parallels."
