Karan Johar

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Dilip Kumar’s Duniya, Sridevi’s Gumrah, etc. However, unlike other celebrity children, Karan Johar was ‘different’ because, in his early childhood, he was mocked by his friends for being ‘non-masculine’. Young Karan thus spent his childhood in solitude away from the harsh society that made fun of and humiliated him. However, his parents were supportive and understood the importance of their son. Instead of deserting him they came to his rescue and boosted his confidence. They accepted the harsh reality that their son was ‘Different’ hence they worked hard and groomed him so sophisticated and urbane that the world bowed before him. Karan was secretly trained to develop his English and French language. He was given special coaching to walk and talk minus feminine gesticulations. He attended voice-training classes to enhance his speaking ability at par with Oxford University students. He graduated from Mumbai’s HR College and later earned a Master’s Degree in French. Thus his parents played a lion’s share in making Karan Johar hide his feminine gesticulations and prepared him to face the world. Karan Johar wanted to handle his father’s export business but Aditya Chopra dragged him into films After graduation Karan Johar was on his way to France to do an internship associated with his father’s export business and handle his father's export empire. But his close friend Adi Chopra urged him to stay back and help him in film production. Karan, as a child marvelled at the films of Raj Kapoor, Yash Chopra, and Sooraj Barjatya, within his heart, and wanted to be in films hence at the insistence of Adi, he dropped pursuing Export Business and instead joined Aditya Chopra as his assistant director in the film Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge."

"Karan Johar made his acting career as a child star on DD! Karan Johar did not start his film career as a child artist in his father’s film but he was part of a popular science-fiction fantasy Indradhanush telecast on DD ( Doordarshan) in 1989. Karan Johar played a schoolboy. The TV serial also had many popular Bollywood celebrities as child actors who later became big stars like actress Urmila Matondkar and Lagaan film director Ashutosh Gowariker. His second appearance as an actor was in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995). In this film, he played a friend of Shahrukh Khan, who indulged in a prank with Amrish Puri in the opening scene of the film. It was a cameo of 2 minutes and Karan had acted only because the extra artist had ditched at the last movement. Later Like filmmaker Subhash Ghai, who made it a style to make a cameo in his films, Karan Johar too started appearing in films in cameo but he played himself. He was seen in Om Shanti Om (2007), Fashion (2008), and Luck by Chance (2009). However, filmmaker Anurag Kashyap exploited Karan Johar’s acting potential to the hilt in his film Bombay Velvet (2015). He gave him the lead villain’s role of Khambatta, the underworld don of Mumbai in the 50’s. Unfortunately, the film was a bitter flop. Hence despite a competent performance,e Karan Johar’s acting career came to an abrupt end! Adi Chopra and ShahRukh forced Karan Johar into the film direction During the shooting of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Karan Johar and ShahRukh Khan became great friends hence when Karan Johar wrote the script of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai he hired ShahRukh Khan as the hero and roped in Adi Chopra to direct the film under Yash Johar Production. When Karan Johar narrated the script to ShahRukh Khan and Adi Chopra, both ShahRukh Khan and Adi were left spellbound by his fabulous narration. Karan Johar’s narration was so vivid that both ShahRukh and Adi were impressed with the narration and both in unison agreed that Karan direct the film Initially Karan was hesitant but with the strong support from Adi and ShahRukh and Kajol, Karan’s confidence was boosted and he went on to direct the film. The film was a huge box office hit for which he won many awards including the prestigious National Award for Best Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. The film also fetched the Best Director award for Karan Johar from both Filmfare and Screen! Karan Johar created a casting coup after the success of Kuch Kuch Hota Hain At the young age of 26 years Karan Johar, came close to his idol filmmaker Raj Kapoor. Raj Kapoor made his first film Aag at the age of 24 and Karan made Kuch Kuch Hota Hai at the age of 26 years. But Karan went a step ahead of Raj Kapoor because, at the age of 29 years, Karan Johar created a casting coup by bringing together, Indian Cinema’s two superstars Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan at loggerhead in his film Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001). Besides bringing Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan together, the film had many top stars like Jaya Bachchan, Kajol, Hrithik Roshan, Kareena Kapoor,r etc but kudos to Karan Johar for handling such a huge crew with elegance. The movie was again a super hit and won many awards. Raj Kapoor created a casting coup at the age of 46 when he made Mera Naam Joker (1970) and assembled a galaxy of stars in films like Raj Kapoor, Manoj Kumar, Jr Rishi Kapoor, Dharmendra, Rajendra Kumar, Dara Singh, etc With Kal Ho Naa Ho Karan Johar displayed his versatility With Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003) Karan Johar proved his versatility in filmmaking. In this film, he tackled a serious subject and established that he is not only good at romantic family entertainers but is also competent at tragic films with substance. The film was Karan Johar’s ode to film legend Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s classic Anand (1971). This was his second film that won the National Award for Best Film providing wholesome entertainment. Interestingly Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Anand too won the Best Film National Award. Karan Johar wanted to shut his home production Dharma Production It may come as an utter shock to readers that after three consecutive hit films, Karan Johar planned to shut his Dharma production. Well, on 26 June 2004, Karan Johar’s father Yash Johar, who was the pillar of his life passed away. His father’s death shattered Karan and he felt as if somebody had pulled the rug under his feet! He believed whatever he had achieved in his life was all thanks to his father’s support. Hence without his father, Karan felt a loner and lost confidence to carry his father’s legacy of running Dharma Production. He decided to shut down Dharma Production. When Karan Johar was in distress he received a sealed letter from none other than Amitabh Bachchan. The letter was addressed to Karan Johar and was written by his late father Yash Johar. When Karan Johar read the letter, in which his father had urged Karan Johar to continue the family legacy of Dharma Production and raise it to great heights of popularity. His father pepped his son to live life bravely and make his soul happy by giving more popularity to Dharma production. Yash Johar was aware his death would wreck his son, hence before his death, he wrote a soul-stirring letter to his son and gave a sealed letter to his close friend, Amitabh Bachchan, and told him to give it to Karan after his death. After reading the letter Karan Johar was all charged up and he toiled day and time to make his father’s dream a success. He gave a chain of hit films like Kaal, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, Dostana, Wake Up Sid, My Name Is Khan, I Hate Luv Storys, Agneepath, Student of the Year, Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani, 2 States, Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, Dear Zindagi, Ok Jaanu, Badrinath Ki Dulhania, etc. Today Karan Johar has elevated the name of Dharma Production as the country’s No 1 production house! Karan Johar became a star TV host with Koffee With Karan After establishing himself as a film director and producer of repute in Bollywood, Karan did not limit himself to Bollywood, he went ahead and proved his mettle on TV by hosting several Film Award shows, judging reality shows like Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa (with Madhuri Dixit and Remo D’Souza) and India’s Got Talent (with Malaika Arora Khan, Kirron Kher, and Farah Khan) and last but not the least hosting Koffee With Karan! With Koffee With Karan, KJo dumfounded his critics with his mesmerizing English and amazing versatility in conducting film celebrity interviews that were vibrant, passionate, hilarious, fulfilled, and intellectual. The show that began in 2004 is still the most sought after, even in 2017!"