Meet star whose house was mortgaged, mother had a heart attack, but Amitabh Bachchan…, now one of richest in Bollywood, name is…

Did you know this star once struggled to run a production house, he sold lights and camera units to earn funds.

Dharma Productions is known for producing some of the iconic films in the history of Bollywood. However, there was a time when the production house failed to generate revenue when Yash Johar had planned to lead the company in a profitable direction. Even before his son, Karan Johar steeped in as a director, Yash Johar struggled to get out of the dark phase. During a recent interview, Nikkhil Advani who once collaborated with the Johars in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, and Kal Ho Naa Ho, there was a period when their house was kept as mortgaged and her ailing mother who had a heart attack. Nikkhil revealed shocking details of the production house that they were selling lights and camera equipment to meet their daily needs.

During an interaction with Lehren Retro, Nikkhil recalled, “I remember Karan (Johar) telling me that there was a time when he sold his lights and camera. He had mortgaged his house. Hiroo Aunty had a heart attack. I think Amit ji met Yash uncle and asked him, ‘How is Hiroo?’. They were both very close as they were school friends. Yash uncle told him, ‘She is in Breach Candy hospital’. Amitji left his shoot and rushed to see her in the hospital (sic).”

However, Nikkhil highlighted that after the meeting, that is how Agneepath was set to be produced. Nikkhil reminisced, “They were there at the hospital. Amit ji came out, met Yash uncle, and told him, ‘There is a boy, who I am making a film with. Romesh is producing it but you call him up and tell him that Amit has given dates for your film. There is a subject on Scarface, we should do it together’. That’s how Agneepath came about. That’s how the film was made. He simply said, ‘I know what you going through, I know what the condition is right now, I am giving you the dates, let’s start.’” Despite giving their best shot, Agneepath was not the breakthrough film for Dharma Productions.

Many may not know that Karan Johar’s father took loans to bring Dharma Productions to existence, then he produced Dostana which proved to be a massive success at the box office. However, that is when things started heading south for Dharma Productions, Yash Johar had face back-to-back flops. Kara’s father previously worked as a production controller for nearly three decades before he set up his own production company. Being the son of Yash Johar, Karan had a regret that his father did not see the immense success of their company.