Karan Johar is a man who has given high expectations to every school and college-going student through his films like Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Student of the Year. Besides this, he has changed the concept of romance by showcasing larger-than-life love stories on the big screen. Be it the story of Rahul and Anjali in K3G or Rahul-Tina and then Rahul-Anjali in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, he likes it to be shown grandly.
Moreover, Karan, aka KJo, has all the latest gossip of the B-town. From ‘Who is dating whom?’ to ‘Who should look nice together?’ to all the information about celebrity weddings, cold wars, catfights and everything happening in Bollywood, he knows it all.
Within his more than two-decades-long career in the Hindi film industry, Karan Johar has become a renowned name which needs no introduction. This 50-year-old young and energetic human being has done it all. He is a Film director, producer, screenwriter, costume designer, television personality and actor.
He is also known for launching young and dynamic actors like Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt, Siddharth Malhotra, Rohit Saraf and others. In 2020, he was awarded India’s fourth highest civilian award- Padma Shri, for his contributions to the Indian film industry.
Let us know more about the life of Karan Johar:
Early Life
Rahul Kumar Johar, later changed to Karan Kumar Johar, was born to famous film producers Yash Johar and Hiroo Johar on May 25, 1972, in Mumbai. He completed his schooling at Greenlawn’s High School in Mumbai and attended H. R. College of Commerce and Economics in Mumbai afterwards. In 2017, he became a proud parent of twins- Yash and Roohi, through surrogacy. Both of them were named after his parents.
Professional Life
He began his career by acting in a television series titled “Indradhanush” on Doordarshan in 1989. Then in 1995, he worked as an assistant director for Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge.
The ‘Director’ Karan
He made his directorial debut in 1998 with Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Starring Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Rani Mukherjee and Salman Khan, the film was a blockbuster at the Box Office. After this, he directed ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham’ in 2011, ‘Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna’ in 2006, and ‘My Name is Khan’ in 2010. All of them became a commercial success at the box office. Then in 2012, he directed ‘Student of the Year’, through which he launched Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan and Siddharth Malhotra.
The ‘Producer’ Karan
As a producer, Karan has produced several films under Dharma Production, which his father started. It includes ‘Bombay Talkies’, ‘Lust Stories’, ‘Kal Ho Na Ho’, ‘Dostana’, ‘Yeh Jawaani Hai Dewaani’, ‘Dear Zindagi’, ‘Raazi’ and others. His latest release was ‘Jug Jugg Jeeyo’.
The ‘Actor’ Karan
Besides directing and producing films, KJo has also done cameos in ‘Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge’,’ Om Shanti Om’, ‘Fashion’ and ‘Luck by Chance’. He has also done a full-length film titled ‘Bombay Velvet’. Although the film didn’t do well at the Box Office, his performance was appreciated.
Other professional activities
He has also worked as Shah Rukh Khan’s costume designer for Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Dil To Pagal Hai, Duplicate, Mohabbatein, Main Hoon Na, Veer-Zaara, and Om Shanti Om.
On television, Karan started his talk show ‘Koffee with Karan’ in 2004, where he interviewed imminent personalities of Bollywood. As of now, he has completed six seasons of his performance. Its seventh season is running after a lot of speculations regarding its return.
He has also judged reality shows like ‘Jhalak Dikhla Jaa’, ‘India’s Got Talent’, ‘India’s Next SUperstars’ and ‘Hunarbaaz: Desh Ki Shaan’. He was also the host of Bigg Boss OTT.
Controversies
Being in showbiz, controversies become a part of life, and Karan Johar is no exception. After Sushant Singh Rajput’s alleged suicide, he was surrounded by the debate on nepotism and was accused of practising it in the Hindi film industry. However, he stated that he has also introduced people in the industry who had no prior connection with it.
He was also blamed for taking the film title and modifying it by Madhur Bhandarkar. Another controversy emerged a few days before the release of ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’ regarding the casting of Pakistan’s artist. An FIR was also lodged against him for being a part of AIB Roast in 2015. In 2020, his name also came into the Bollywood drug row.
Awards and accolades
Karan Johar has won several awards and accolades for his contribution to Bollywood. Some of them are:
- Filmfare Award for Best Director for Kuch kuch Hota Hai
- Filmfare Award for Best Screenplay for Kuch kuch Hota Hai
- Screen Award for Best Director for Kuch kuch Hota Hai
- Zee Cine Award for Best Director for Kuch kuch Hota Hai
- National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment for Kuch Kuch Hota Hai
- Filmfare Award for Best Director for My Name is Khan
- IIFA Award for Best Director for My Name is Khan
- Producers Guild Film Award for Best Director for My Name is Khan
- Zee Cine Award for Best Director for My Name is Khan
- Star Dust Award for Dream Director for Student of the Year
- Padma Shri Award to honour him for his contributions in the fields of Arts
