Just when we were wondering what Karan Johar was up to, the latest news is that his magnum opus Kabhi Alvidaa Na Kehna (KANK) will take off on September 1.

The mahurat will be attended by Karan's very close family and friends including the Bachchans and the Khans. The mahurat shot will be given by senior Bachchan who plays the most rakish role of his career in Karan's film.

From the film's controversial title to the atypical theme, Kabhi Alvidaa Na Kehna has been under media and showbiz scrutiny for months now.

After months of toil in London, Karan has finally got the screenplay in place. "It's been a hectic time. Sometimes, I feel I have to take an appointment with myself to meet me. First, the script was a huge problem. Since I was going into unexplored territory - the various facets of the man-woman relationship in an urban setting. I encountered many stumbling blocks while writing the script."

"The Hindi dialogues had to be authentic and real, and yet conversational - a hard task. Then, getting the vast cast in place was a problem. Finally, I've got Veer-Zaara (Shah Rukh-Preity) and Bunty-Babli (Abhishek-Rani) for the film. But above all, I've Mr Bachchan. No one else could play his role."

The first two weeks of Karan's film will be shot in Mumbai. Then he will shift to the US for a bulk of the shooting of what's touted as a departure from the Karan Johar style of filmmaking.

"Hey hold it! Enough of this departure theory. Kabhi Alvidaa Na Kehna will be a typical KJ film. It will be large in canvas and scope and hopefully in emotions. It will be the Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham located in the heart and other intangible regions of the human being. Yes, it's different from my other films. But was K3G anything like Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. And did Kaal resemble Kal Ho Na Ho in any detail? Have I made my point? Then let's move on."