Karan Johar receives official invitation to attend London Olympics opening ceremony

For the next fortnight, tickets for all flights from India to London will come at a premium. And available tickets to the 2012 Olympics, beginning July 27, are rarer by far. For Karan Johar, however, these facts are trifles, writes The Times Of India, adding that the filmmaker has received an official invitation to join 506 dignitaries at the event.

KJo, the official ambassador for Visit Britain is perhaps the only other Indian apart from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to have received an official invitation. The PM's invite comes from his British counterpart David Cameron as a matter of protocol. Karan's invite comes from the Visit Britain authorities. He will catch the opening ceremony in a special box reserved for the who's who of the world.

"I'm truly humbled and excited", says Karan of the honour, adding, "Had you asked me a few days ago if I intended to go to London — it's virtually my second home — during the Olympics, I'd have said, 'No chance'. I've been shooting non-stop for my film Student Of The Year and the TV show that I'm judging. Life has been very hectic. When this invitation came through, I jumped at the opportunity. After all, it's a very prestigious event," said Karan to TOI.

Meanwhile a report in Hindustan Times says that he has successfully interspersed games such as cricket, football and basketball in his films and now, Karan Johar is set to be a part of the biggest sporting extravaganza – the Olympics. VisitBritain, the British Tourist Authority, has officially invited the filmmaker to attend the opening ceremony.

And although he is neck-deep in the shooting of his next, Student Of The Year (SOTY), an elated Karan will halt the shoot for a couple of days to make it to The Isles of Wonder. “Surely it gives me a great feeling. It will be exciting to witness such a breathtaking event from close quarters,” says the filmmaker.

Ask Karan about any ’special preparation’ and he says, “There’s no special effort as such because I am shooting non-stop for Student Of The Year. Although, it’s in the last leg of the shoot, I am focusing completely on it.” Johar will leave on July 26 for London and will be back in a couple of days to re-start shooting.

The filmmaker happens to be among several special invitees for Olympics opening ceremony. Others include honchos like Simon Vincent (worldwide president for Hilton hotels), Jasminder Singh (founder and chairman of Radisson Edwardian Hotels), Julie Southern (chief commercial officer of Virgin Atlantic) and filmmaker Anthony Fabian.