July 29 marks Guru Purnima in the Hindu lunar calendar. On the occasion, filmmaker Karan Johar penned an emotional note, crediting his two gurus — Aditya Chopra and Shah Rukh Khan — for his career.
Sharing two of his pictures where he can be seen with Shah Rukh and Aditya, Karan recalled the two conversations in his early 20s that changed his life. Recalling the first one of them with Aditya, before he was set to begin filming his debut Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Karan wrote, “Adi asked me to assist him on DDLJ ( I was about to leave for my further studies )… he told me I had to be a director... he said if I didn’t pursue this path I would be making a huge mistake.”
Further recalling how he approached his father and late producer Yash Johar to talk about his decision to join films, Karan wrote, “I went dramatically to my father the next morning and asked him for a year of my life… A year on a film set… He looked at my moist eyes (looked like tears but was actually just lack of sleep and a developing stye) and said “Beta … will you know what to do on a set ?“… I said an emphatic NO… He asked, “ Will you promise to work very hard and follow every instruction ?“ He said, “That will make you a producer …. To be a director you need only and only Passion.”
Karan Johar went on to share details of another life-changing conversation, the one with Shah Rukh that he had on the sets of DDLJ. Karan recalled, “I was looking at the mountains (pretending to be home sick and seeking sympathy ). He came to me and said “Tu director banega and teri pehli film main karoonga.” I thought to myself … he’s probably low on oxygen and may not completely know what he’s saying… but he was serious and followed up with my father as we got back to India… my father ( who was mildly hard of hearing ) wasn’t sure either, But Srk was serious… he believed in me for a reason I can’t quite comprehend even today … ( just like Adi did).”
Karan concluded his post on an emotional note, adding, “I love you Adi and Bhai. I am here with my strengths and flaws… my ups and downs… my wins and my losses… only and only because of the both of you… You both are the only reason I can tell stories today.”
Karan Johar began his directorial career with 1998's Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, which became one of the biggest hits of the decade. Besides Shah Rukh, the romantic drama starred Kajol and Rani Mukerji in the lead cast.
