The hugely successful Bollywood filmmaker Karan Johar has enjoyed many successes at the box office, whether he’s credited as the director (Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai) or producer (Kal Ho Na Ho). For the forthcoming thriller Kaal, he shares producer responsibilities with Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who also makes a special appearance during an item number at the beginning of the film (with Malaika Arora Khan).

Their names alone would instantly create a certain level of hype for any movie, but having a star cast including the likes of Ajay Devgan, Vivek Oberoi, John Abraham, Lara Dutta and Esha Deol, and the film becomes one of the biggest releases of the year!

The film is unlike any Karan Johar production in the past. It seems the filmmaker has moved into new territory with Kaal, which also marks the directorial debut of Soham Shah (who assisted both Karan Johar and Ram Gopal Varma in the past).

Kaal is set on the background of Jim Corbett National Park in Uttaranchal. A wildlife researcher (John Abraham) and his photographer friend (Esha Deol) venture into the Jim Corbett National Park to work on a project. Also a group of tourists (including Vivek Oberoi and Lara Dutta) land in the national park for some adventure. But on one creepy afternoon strange things begin to happen in the park and members of the group start disappearing. It seems that there is some supernatural force behind the events that is partly beast and partly ghost.

It’s then that a head of a village close to the park (Ajay Devgan) comes to the scene. The two couples decide to support each other in the wild and also to stick together with the local village head who has more knowledge of the surroundings and the situation. Together they have to fight the unseen force.

Shah Rukh Khan will appear in a song in the movie. Kaal is slated for an April 2005 release.