One of India's most powerful and influential young filmmakers, 32-year-old writer/director/producer Karan Johar is credited with bringing a fresh and modern outlook to commercial Hindi cinema. After his hugely successful debut Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (Something Is Happening), he broke UK and US box office records in 2001 with Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (Sometimes Happiness, Sometimes Sorrow). He's now teamed up with Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan to co-produce his fourth film, Kaal, set for release in British cinemas on 29th April.

As a filmmaker your name is associated with big-budget family melodramas. So what's the deal behind Kaal, a slick thriller set in a jungle?

Kaal is what I call a "thriller, chiller, killer", and is quite a departure from what I've done before as it's got no family or love story angle. The name means the time of death. I came across the script via its director Soham, who used to be an assistant director of mine. When he narrated it to me I was impressed by it's unique story and knew it would bring something new to the screen. Shah Rukh Khan, [currently Bollywood's biggest star] is a close friend of mine and has co-produced this film with me.

What can we expect from the film?

Well for a change it has no songs within the core, so is shorter in length than the average three-hour Bollywood film. It was shot in the Jim Corbett National Park in India and also on location in Thailand. It's basically about two young couples who go on an expedition in the jungle and all the scary things they unexpectedly encounter one night. It touches upon the theme of conservation and features lots of wild tigers.

Why did you choose Radio 1 DJ Bobby Friction to remix a song from the soundtrack?

Sony Music in India came up with the idea and I thought great, let's do it. The title track Kaal Dhamal which he's remixed absolutely rocks and is currently going down a storm in India. That track and another song called Tauba Tauba will only appear at the beginning and end of the film so they won't harm or interfere with the narrative.

Very few westerners have seen a Bollywood film, believing them to be unrealistic, melodramatic and over-long. Will non-Asians ever be able to relate to Hindi films?

I think we will eventually crossover, but I hope we'll crossover in our own style and not theirs. I think initially westerners are shocked as our films are all high-pitched with gut wrenching emotions. But every country, when it makes world cinema, projects the lifestyle of that country. I think Indian energy is infectious and when westerners finally get into it they won't want to get out of it. The right kind of Indian movies with the right kind of song, dance, emotions and drama can totally pull at your heartstrings.

Bollywood suffers from the reputation of being a disorganised industry where emphasis is placed on quantity not quality. How much are things changing with the influence of young, technically-minded and business savvy directors like yourself?

I think we are cleaning up our act. The younger influx of filmmakers has brought in a certain amount of discipline, professionalism and corporatisation. All the structure has changed - our scheduling is effective, our budgets are in control and our scripts are now bound. But it's still in the minority; 20% of us are working that way but thankfully it's growing.

Bollywood has become increasingly visible in the west, yet has failed to crossover in the way cinema from the Far East. Why do you think this is?

Very few films actually manage to break that barrier in terms of being universal in theme and content. Maybe an Amelie made in France achieved global recognition, but those kinds of films never really achieve the figures Hollywood summer blockbusters do. I think we are struggling along with the rest of the world to make a commercial market in America. Films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon have wider releases because they have international chains backing them, and India has to find its network.

So why would someone like Quentin Tarantino back a Chinese film like Hero for example, and not a big Bollywood film like Kabhie Kushie Kabhie Gham?

Well I'm sure there will be a time when they will back Indian films. I think Harvey Weinstein showed great interest in Indian cinema when he backed Bride And Prejudice, but then of course there was a lull. But I think that lull will be filled in soon. There is already a European interest in Indian cinema but America is still a tough territory to break. When I'm in London I sometimes feel I am in India because I see our films in cinemas all over the city. Even the average English (non-Asian) audience is aware of Indian cinema or has seen a couple of Bollywood films.

Do you have any aspirations to make an English language film?

No. I believe in my domestic market and making films for Indians all over the world. People should come and love our films for what they are. I feel that if the West is interested in us then they should come to us. It's every filmmakers dream to have a wider audience but we can do it on our terms. We'll have our songs, our dances and Indian emotions, take it or leave. I won't change my format just to appeal to Miramax.

Legendary Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan recently said he disagrees with the view that winning an Oscar would be the pinnacle of cinematic achievement for an Indian actor or filmmaker. After all, no one asks Tom Cruise why he hasn't won a Filmfare award. Do you agree with his viewpoint?

Yes we do undervalue Bollywood to some extent. We have to hold our heads up high and say we are proud of our achievements. We have a leading film industry, we are doing good work and we've made films on our own terms and conditions, without any international support. So why should we think of Hollywood or the West as better? We Indians have a tendency of being impressed by anything the West does. At the end of the day maybe the West is very impressed with what we are doing - we just don't know. We have to go out there, meet people and understand their perceptions of Bollywood instead of making our own assumptions of how the world perceives us.

The UK has become an increasingly important market for Bollywood films over the past decade, with Indian filmmakers attempting to make what is now termed NRI (Non-Resident Indian) friendly movies. Do you feel this is a commercial decision rather than a creative one?

People keep saying NRI, but we make films to entertain Indians. They could be living in Bihar, Birmingham or New York, that's just geography. Fortunately my sensibility appeals to NRIs but I don't look at them as NRIs. To me they are just Indians. If I was just targeting the NRI audience then my films wouldn't work in India, but the fact is they do. I'm not even looking at the west because that's not my audience. But if they come by, then why not - hop on! The bigger the audience the more the fun!

The 90s saw a flux of Indian supernatural thrillers and the noughties have brought in sexually provocative movies. Do you see any other new trends emerging in Bollywood?

These are just seasons, not even trends. They come and go, but eventually it's the good, solid entertainers which represent the Indian value system that will survive. The sexually provocative films, or violent thrillers are always going to work if they are good films. If they are just there to bring in audiences and sensationalise they won't. It's the same in the west where you saw a series of disaster and alien invasion movies in the 90s. For Bollywood it's now more about taking a step forward in terms of content. What explains the success of a film like Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Black back home in India? It had everything going against it - 70% of it is in English, it had no songs and a dark, depressing theme. But it found an audience.

Besides being a filmmaker you have recently become one of India's top TV presenters with your own chat show, Koffee With Karan? What made you want to step in front of the camera?

The show is more like an extra-curricular activity or hobby for me. I talk to so many film personalities on a daily basis, so I thought hey, why not get paid for it? The whole concept of Koffee With Karan is about high glamour and to bring on the best in the Bollywood film fraternity. In that sense it's like the David Letterman Show. It's probably interesting to see a filmmaker do this because I don't think it has happened anywhere else in the world. Television is such a huge medium of entertainment with millions of people watching, which means high connectivity. Film is great, it's what I do and what I stand for, but I think TV reaches out to millions more people all over the world.

Which process do you enjoy most - writing, producing or directing?

Directing films is my favourite. I hate producing and can't bear the process of writing. Saying that, having a script all ready and done so that you can just go on set and call the shots is a big high.

What's more important to you - box office success or critical acclaim?

Box office success by far because that equals audiences, and audiences are who I make films for.

Kaal is released in UK cinemas on Friday 29th April 2005.