Can Karan Johar ever not be in the news? It is almost impossible. Ever since he introduced himself to us in 1998 with his first film, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, under his father Yash Johar’s banner—Dharma Productions—Karan Johar has been front and centre of all things entertainment. For over 25 years, he has been a director, producer, talk show host, reality TV judge, businessman and investor, entertainer, envelope-pusher, controversy-chaser, Bollywood representative and more.
Dharma Productions clocked 25 years under Johar in 2023. It also clocked in its 50th production, a film directed by him after seven long years. Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani was among the many hits in a blockbuster year and won him more critical acclaim than any film he has made.
Johar, 51, is not your average multi-hyphenate. The Hindi film industry has not seen a tour de force like him. Johar has turned his father Yash’s medium-sized business into a mega empire. Johar’s Dharma produced 50 films in half the years; launched Dharma 2.0, an ad film arm in 2016; Dharmatic Entertainment in 2018 for OTT content; and Dharma Cornerstone Agency or DCA, a talent management agency that manages most young stars, in 2020.
“Dharma under Karan Johar was a startup before we knew what startups were,” says director Shakun Batra, smiling. The 40-year-old has made three films and a documentary under the production house. “Karan was a young kid who hired a bunch of young kids, backed their ideas and stories and created a great entrepreneurship,” he says. “Karan and his partner Apoorva Mehta were not even 40 when they started backing other people.”
I AM MEETING
Denne historien er fra January 21, 2024-utgaven av THE WEEK India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra January 21, 2024-utgaven av THE WEEK India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
William Dalrymple goes further back
Indian readers have long known William Dalrymple as the chronicler nonpareil of India in the early years of the British raj. His latest book, The Golden Road, is a striking departure, since it takes him to a period from about the third century BC to the 12th-13th centuries CE.
The bleat from the street
What with all the apps delivering straight to one’s doorstep, the supermarkets, the food halls and even the occasional (super-expensive) pop-up thela (cart) offering the woke from field-to-fork option, the good old veggie-market/mandi has fallen off my regular beat.
Courage and conviction
Justice A.M. Ahmadi's biography by his granddaughter brings out behind-the-scenes tension in the Supreme Court as it dealt with the Babri Masjid demolition case
EPIC ENTERPRISE
Gowri Ramnarayan's translation of Ponniyin Selvan brings a fresh perspective to her grandfather's magnum opus
Upgrade your jeans
If you don’t live in the top four-five northern states of India, winter means little else than a pair of jeans. I live in Mumbai, where only mad people wear jeans throughout the year. High temperatures and extreme levels of humidity ensure we go to work in mulmul salwars, cotton pants, or, if you are lucky like me, wear shorts every day.
Garden by the sea
When Kozhikode beach became a fertile ground for ideas with Manorama Hortus
RECRUITERS SPEAK
Industry requirements and selection criteria of management graduates
MORAL COMPASS
The need to infuse ethics into India's MBA landscape
B-SCHOOLS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT INDIAN ECONOMY IS GOING TO WITNESS A TREMENDOUS GROWTH
INTERVIEW - Prof DEBASHIS CHATTERJEE, director, Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode
COURSE CORRECTION
India's best b-schools are navigating tumultuous times. Hurdles include lower salaries offered to their graduates and students misusing AI
