Filmmaker Karan Johar is celebrating his 49th birthday today. Johar, who is also the owner of Dharma Productions, has had a stronghold over the Hindi film industry for over 25 years now.
Johar started his career as an assistant director and costume designer in Aditya Chopra’s classic Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. He also made a cameo in the film. He made his debut as a director in 1998 with Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, a film that changed the way people looked at youngsters and college romance.
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai was not only a box-office hit, it turned into a classic. In a way, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai started Johar’s journey of nothing but box-office hits.
He has since then directed Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, My Name is Khan, Student of the Year and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. All of these films have differing levels of critical acclaim, but they are box-office success for sure. He also teamed up with Anurag Kashyap, Zoya Akhtar and Dibakar Banerjee to make short films for the Bombay Talkies, Lust Stories and Ghost Stories anthologies.
Since he took over as head of Dharma Productions in 2004, Johar has produced at least 40 films and presented many more. In 2018, the filmmaker announced a new department called Dharmatic, which is responsible for producing content for online distribution. With Dharmatic, Johar has produced Guilty, Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives, Ajeeb Daastans, Searching for Sheela and Ghost Stories among others. They also have some exciting projects, including Finding Anamika starring Madhuri Dixit, Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives 2 and Meenakshi Sundareshwar starring Sanya Malhotra and Abhimanyu Dassani.
Johar is an ace businessman, and through Dharma and Dharmatic, he has been able to create a certain brand of filmmaking. The films that he makes and produces do not just have a signature style, but they also represent his specific brand.
There are elements that Johar uses in his films, the most obvious one being maximalism. Nothing is too much for a Karan Johar film. The audience has to suspend disbelief when he tries to pass off an estate in London as New Delhi, because the latter is not beautiful enough for him. There is suspension of disbelief when characters live in luxury in the most expensive cities in the world without working hard or at all. We also believe him when the couples in his film live happily forever after without putting much work into their relationship.
In every film that he has made, there has been some degree of luxury involved. He has also never shied away from worshipping his characters through the camera and in the best of his fantasies. Despite all of the extravaganza, he seems to have gotten his formula of success figured out.
Even when he is making a film like My Name is Khan, which focuses on racism and Islamophobia post 9/11, there have been elements of signature Karan Johar elegance. Before tragedy strikes, the protagonists live in relative bliss. The film also glorifies the love NRIs have for their country, a recurring theme in his films. There is also the veneration of the protagonist, who despite having mental health issues, gets over most hurdles on his own. My Name is Khan is probably the best film Johar has ever made, and he diverted from his usual family dramas and love stories. However, it borrowed from all the other films he had made before.
A lot of films that Johar has produced under his banner also carry the essence of the brand, no matter how diverse the plotline is. It can be a film about a group of friends like Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani or it could be about married couples trying to have children like a Good Newwz, we will always know that it is a Dharma film. There will be beautiful protagonists in gorgeous clothes, there will be dance numbers and just the right touch of affluence. Films like Kal Ho Na Ho, Dostana, Student of the Year 2, Kapoor and Sons, Badrinath Ki Dulhani, Dhadak, Kalank, all meet some of the criteria.
Now, the question arises, should the filmmaker try and inculcate more diversity? Or should he stick to his style that best suits him? The old adage says, “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.” However, the answer to this lies with one man only and Johar only makes the most beneficial decisions when it comes to his business and art.
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