Filmmaker and writer Karan Razdan has worn several hats in the film industry, but few know that he was the writer behind the ambitious yet shelved film Time Machine. The project, starring Aamir Khan and Juhi Chawla and directed by Shekhar Kapur, generated significant buzz before it was eventually abandoned. Razdan had shared details about why the film was shelved. Speaking about the story, Razdan expanded on a revelation made by veteran art director Bijon Das Gupta in a 2021 interview. The film revolved around Aamir Khan’s character accidentally travelling back in time and landing in the era of the Mahabharata. Explaining the sequence, Razdan said in an interview with Bollywood Hungama, “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 further revealed that the protagonist’s journey was driven by a deeply personal desire. “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.”Razdan also recalled how the idea for Time Machine originated from a personal tragedy shared by him and director Shekhar Kapur.“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. 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.”Asked whether the project could still be revived in today’s era of large-scale filmmaking, Razdan revealed that several prominent producers had shown interest over the years.“Manmohan Shetty, Ramesh Taurani and Karan Johar wanted to make it. I even sent the script to Karan but he quoted a ridiculously low price.” He then recounted his interactions with Dharma Productions, where Jugal Hansraj was heading the story department at the time.“Jugal Hansraj was looking after the story department in Dharma. Shekhar had spoken to Jugal and the former told me to meet the latter. I told Jugal that I myself will give the narration. 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 lakhs. I was shocked. Sona kharidne aaye ho ya pital kharidne aaye ho? Yeh toh samjho ki kya de raha hoon main aapko?”Razdan also expressed disappointment over how the discussions unfolded.“Karan Johar didn’t even come face-to-face. Also, let’s not forget that Shekhar is also involved. This is basic courtesy.”He further disclosed that producer Firoz Nadiadwala had also explored the possibility of reviving the project.“Firoz Nadiadwala wanted to make it. I gave a whole narration in Guddu ji’s (Rakesh Roshan) house. Hrithik was also there. But the matter couldn’t be taken forward as they didn’t know who should direct it. Shekhar had made it clear that since I was involved as a writer, I shouldn’t direct as the team would need my inputs in writing.”Razdan concluded by revealing that another celebrated filmmaker’s name was eventually considered, but he was not convinced it was the right fit.“Rajkumar Santoshi’s name cropped up. But I disagreed as this was not his genre.”
