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Karan Johar is known for some of Bollywood’s biggest hits on the silver screen since his very first feature film, “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai,” released in 1998. After his father, Yash Johar, passed away, the junior Johar quickly took the reins of the family production house—Dharma Productions—and has been at the helm of countless blockbuster hits. His producer-savvy skills aside, most of us love Johar for the films that he has written and directed.
With his birthday just around the corner, here is a look back at some of his most popular films to date.
This 1998 romantic dramedy featured Kajol, Rani Mukherjee, and Shahrukh Khan in a love triangle that took a “Parent Trap”-esque turn in the latter half of the film. Kajol’s Anjali and SRK’s Rahul have gone down in Bollywood history as best-friends-who-missed-the-love-boat, thanks to Mukherjee’s glamorous Tina. But with a little Johar pyaar vyaar, anything is possible—especially jab kuch kuch hota hai. If you have not seen this very first piece of Johar’s cinematic handiwork, then head over to Netflix and watch it ASAP.
“Kabhi Khushi Khabi Gham”—better known as K3G— was a 2001 family drama carrying the tagline, “It’s all about loving your parents.” Centered around the wealthy Raichand family, K3G made it a little hard to love the Raichand family patriarch, played by Amitabh Bachchan, thanks to his stubborn and egotistical ways. However, with just a few short hours of tears and love, and more tears and more pyaar (did I mention the tears?)—even the stone-hearted Yashvardhan Raichand broke down. If you are looking for some old-fashioned Bollywood family filmy drama, then look no further and watch this blockbuster film which also features Jaya Bachchan, Hrithik Roshan, Kareena Kapoor-Khan, SRK, and Kajol in lead roles.
Unlike all the other films that are featured on this list, “Kal Ho Naa Ho” was written and produced, but not directed, by Johar. There is no doubt that Johar’s story helped newbie director Nikhil Advani helm a huge box office hit. SRK’s Aman Mathur, Preity Zinta’s Naina Kapur, and Saif Ali Khan’s Rohit Patel end up in a love triangle of sorts—which is made a bit more complicated thanks to Aman’s mysterious past. I have a lot of problems with the way “Kal Ho Naa Ho” ultimately played out, but I will not give away any big spoilers here. If you have not yet seen this favorite film of mine, you can catch it on Netflix today! Then, we can all discuss why I love this movie despite my many, many issues with the script.
This 2006 drama took a bit of a diversion from Johar’s previously family-friendly topics and looked at the blossoming love, and subsequent extramarital affair, between Dev Saran (Shah Rukh Khan) and Maya Talwar (Rani Mukherjee). “Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna” also delved into both Dev and Maya’s personal histories to help the viewer understand why these two were drawn to each other and away from their unhappy marriages. Zinta as Rhea Saran and Bachchan as Rishi Talwar co-star as Dev and Maya’s spouses, respectively.
Ultimately, this film may still leave you feeling unfulfilled by the character development on all fronts—but there are some amazing music and gorgeous cinematography.
Moving away from his usual reliance on movies that start with the letter “K,” Johar wrote and directed “My Name is Khan” in 2010—a drama featuring King Khan and Kajol in leading roles. From the lead character’s Asperger’s syndrome to anti-Muslim sentiment in the U.S. in the aftermath of 9/11 to a bizarre cross-country escapade that lands Rizwan Khan (played by SRK) in New Orleans in the middle of Hurricane Katrina—“My Name is Khan” tackled way too much material in its 165 minutes of run time. But hey, none of that kept the movie from being a runaway success at the box office, so what do I know?
In yet another departure from his norm, in 2012, Johar wrote and directed his first venture that did not feature Shah Rukh Khan in the star lineup—gasp! This little fact aside, “Student of the Year” served as the launchpad for the careers of newcomers Varun Dhawan, Siddharth Malhotra, and Alia Bhatt. Little else is really memorable about the movie itself, but it is proof beyond a shadow of a doubt that Johar knows exactly what it takes to earn Bollywood box office gold—even without Khan!
Johar also wrote and directed one of the short films featured in the 2013 movie “Bombay Talkies,” but for his next feature film, we all will have to wait until the release of “Ae Dil Hai Mushkil.” Starring Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Fawad Khan, and Aishwarya Rai, “Ae Dil Hai Mushkil” is slated for an October 2016 release. Don’t know what to do while you wait for this movie?
Take a little Bollywood staycation and catch up on as many of Johar’s previous films as you can!
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