Filmmaker Karan Johar won the director of the year award
New Delhi:
Filmmaker Karan Johar on Tuesday said producer Aditya Chopra and superstar Shah Rukh Khan are the “two pillars” of his life to whom he owes his 25-year career in cinema.
Johar assisted and featured in a small role in Chopra’s hit directorial debut Dilwale will take Dulhania, a 1995 musical romance film starring Khan and Kajol. Three years later, both actors came forward Kuch kuch hota hai who started Johar as a director.
“Meeting Aditya Chopra and Shah Rukh Khan were also part of my destiny. Two pillars, two reasons why I am sitting here today. They acknowledged something about me that I didn’t see in myself. I will be forever grateful to them. . Much passion left. But what happens when you don’t have such a powerful position because your belief system can be strong enough to face all the odds? There was strong faith. It has a lot to do with luck, but nothing happens without hard work,” said the filmmaker.
Johar was in the national capital to attend the ninth National Leadership Conclave of the All India Management Association (AIMA), where he was honored with the ‘Director of the Year’ award for 2023. Love story of Rocky and Rani,
Sitting down for a fireside chat at the event, the 51-year-old looked back on his career, mistakes, failures and the role of cinema in society.
Not just Khan and Chopra, Johar – son of the late producer Yash Johar – said it is not easy to maintain a professional approach when one is working with actors growing up like Amitabh Bachchan, who starred in his household banner Dharma. Production films such as friendly (1980) and fire path (1990).
Johar shared an interesting anecdote about directing Bachchan for the first time in his second directorial venture. Sometimes there is happiness and sometimes there is sadness.,
“I remember, a day before directing, I fainted… I am thankful to Amit uncle for allowing me to be a director, give instructions,” he recalls.
A director known for films like Never say goodbye, my name is KhanAnd last year’s hit “Rocky Aur Rani…”, said he doesn’t believe in past glories.
“If you can deal with failure and success in the same way, you will always be a successful person. It doesn’t mean that you equate success with money. You equate it with your own happiness and your inner feelings. Admit it. Failure, I Analyze it too and I’m moving from success the fastest, because resting on your laurels wastes a lot of time.
Recalling Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s soft power comments about films, Johar said films are “a hugely influential medium”.
“We are an effective soft power when we can reach millions of people through our communication. We have felt the effects of what is good and what is bad time and again.
“We have enormous power and therefore, with enormous power comes enormous responsibility… Whatever we project, what we say, you have to measure it with a certain amount of salt and sensitivity because people take the word seriously,” he added.
He said, a film cannot change the fabric of society but a film can shed light on larger issues like women empowerment.
“Nothing happens overnight, but I believe that what cinema has projected in the last decade or a decade and a half has raised the awareness of our society considerably. Of course, there is a flip (side) to that. Movies that are constantly harmful, but I hope That those filmmakers will realize the platform they have and the importance of their voice,” added Johar.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
