Happy birthday, Karan Johar. The director-producer, who has become synonymous with quintessential Bollywood dramas replete with songs and dances, is as colourful as the movies he makes. The filmmaker wears many hats with the ease of an expert. In addition to being one of India's leading directors and producers, Karan Johar is also an actor, chat show host, reality show judge, entrepreneur and backs a jewellery brand. Lucky for us, the filmmaker's social media pages allow us to keep up with the life of the multi-hyphenate, one post at a time.
On his birthday, we try to capture the myriad moods of Karan Johar with some help from his Instagram posts.
The Filmmaker
Karan Johar's name has been attached to some of the biggest films of the last two decades, in the capacity of a director and producer. While he wears many hats, Karan Johar has often mentioned that a filmmaker is who he will always be at the core. On Instagram, we often see him speak about his upcoming films and previous projects.
For instance, on the occasion of 20 years of Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Karan Johar shared unseen footage from the film's shoot. Take a look:
In 2020, Karan Johar was also awarded the Padma Sri for his contribution to the Hindi film industry.
The Family Man
Karan Johar turned father to twins in 2017 and since then has always proudly flaunted the role of a doting father. The director's Instagram profile is filled with images of him alongside his children Yash Johar and Roohi Johar, and mother Hiroo Yash Johar.
Here's a lovely image of Karan with his family on New Year 2022.
During the pandemic induced lockdown in 2020 and 2021, Karan Johar also shared several videos of his children goofing around, with him joining in on the fun.
The Friend
If Bollywood was high school, Karan Johar would be that student who is everyone's friend. From superstars like Shah Rukh Khan to younger stars such as Alia Bhatt (who he launched), the director enjoys a warm camaraderie with everyone he works with.
Here's a throwback image of Karan Johar with his parents, Yash and Hiroo Johar, as well as Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan, clicked years ago.
We also love this set of pictures that Karan Johar shared on Christmas featuring him alongside Kareena Kapoor, Ranbir Kapoor, Malaika Arora, Arjun Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Sara Ali Khan, Saif Ali Khan and Sanjay Kapoor, among others.
The Mentor
Karan Johar is responsible for launching and mentoring several actors and directors who are ruling the roost in Bollywood today. Actors such as Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan and Sidharth Malhotra were launched by the director in his film, Student Of The Year. Additionally, Janhvi Kapoor, Ananya Panday, and Tara Sutaria all made their debuts with his Dharma Productions. Directors such as Ayan Mukerji, Shakun Batra, Abhishek Varman, and Shashank Khaitan among others were also launched by Dharma Productions.
Here's a post that Karan Johar dedicated to Varun Dhawan on the actor's birthday.
On the occasion of his mentee Alia Bhatt's wedding to Ranbir Kapoor, he shared a photo and wrote in a note, “…My darling Alia Bhatt this is such a beautiful life step and my love and blessings go with you everywhere … Ranbir, I love you… now and forever! You are now my son in law.”
The Fashionista
Karan Johar has a separate fan base thanks to his eclectic and maximalist fashion sense. From oversized, embellished jackets on his talk show to fuschia toned sherwanis at weddings, the filmmaker wears it all with aplomb.
A case in point is the filmmaker's baby pink sherwani he wore for the Alia-Ranbir wedding.
Recently, Karan Johar carried off animal prints like a true fashionista for one of his reality show judging gigs.
On the work front, Karan Johar will return to direction after seven years with the Ranveer Singh-Alia Bhatt starrer Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani.